Tyson Gay upsets Usain Bolt in 100 meters in Stockholm

Gay upsets Bolt in 100 meters in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM — It turns out Usain Bolt can be beaten.

From Beijing to Berlin, it seemed that Bolt and his long, turbocharged strides were more than a match for anyone over 100 meters. But Tyson Gay upset the defending world and Olympic champion Friday in a race between the two fastest runners in history.

Gay beat the Jamaican at the DN Galan meet in 9.84 seconds at the same stadium where Bolt last lost a race two years ago.

The American seemed in complete control against the world record-holder. The pair raced side by side in lanes four and five. Gay, looking comfortable, drew away while Bolt strained to keep up and finished second in 9.97.

“I’m really happy with the win, even though Usain Bolt isn’t in the best shape,” Gay said. “It was very important to beat someone like that for the fans and the sport.”

Bolt has run faster this year, finishing in 9.82 a month ago in Lausanne, Switzerland.

A sellout crowd in the 1912 Olympic Stadium turned silent before the showdown. And the tension heightened even further after two false starts.

“I think it showed that I wasn’t in the best of shape,” Bolt said. “I’m not unbeatable. I can be beaten and it showed today.”

“This is my easy season,” he added. “If you don’t beat me this season it’s not going to happen next season because next year is a championship year.”

The sprinters both looked like they left plenty in reserve when they cruised through the heats, and so it was for Gay when it came to the final. Richard Thompson of Trinidad finished third in 10.10.

The race would have had even more star power had Asafa Powell of Jamaica not pulled out Wednesday because of a back injury. That denied fans the chance to see the first race featuring the world’s three fastest men.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt mesmerized all of track and field in winning the 100 and 200 — becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep both Olympic sprints. He then stormed to another world record of 9.58 last August at the world championships in Berlin.

In other events, American Bershawn Jackson set a stadium record of 47.65 in the 400 hurdles. Javier Culson of Puerto Rico was a distant second in 48.50 and Angelo Taylor of the U.S. third in 49.57.

Allyson Felix won the women’s 200 in 22.41 in an American sweep. Shalonda Solomon was second in 22.51, with Bianca Knight third with 22.59.

Australia’s Sally Pearson won the women’s 100 hurdles in 12.57, beating Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep in 12.59. Lolo Jones of the U.S. was third in 12.70.

Darya Klishna of Russia beat a top field in the women’s long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 3 inches. Brittney Reese of the United States was second in 22-1¾, and European silver medalist Naide Gomes of Portugal third at 22-0¾.

“I missed Barcelona so this was something special for me,” Klishna said. “I always like to jump with the best possible field. It gives me more motivation.”

Blanka Vlasic of Croatia won the women’s high jump at 6-7½. Chaunte Howard-Lowe of the U.S. was second at 6-6¾. Crowd favorite Emma Green of Sweden was third at 6-4¼.

Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki won the javelin at 276-11, inflicting a rare defeat on world, Olympic and European champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. Thorkildsen was second at 274-4, followed by Mattias De Zordo of Germany at 269-2.