Countdown to Beijing

It was a windy day on June 29, 2008 in Eugene, OR, site of the the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials. The day before, Tyson Gay finished ran the 100m dash in 9.77 seconds setting the American record, and that was just the qualifier. Today, however, was the finals. Wearing a uniform designed in tribute to Jesse Owens, Tyson and 7 others approached the starting line. At first, the majority of runners jumped across the line, but no one was personally awarded the false start. The official ruled excessive crowd noise as the cause. At the sound of the gun, the sprinters exploded. It certainly wasn't a surprise to see Tyson Gay cross first, but the true magic was in his time. Finishing in 9.68 seconds, Tyson recorded the fastest 100m time ever run by a human. Even though faster than 9.72 seconds, his time does not qualify to set a new world record. Tail wind speeds of 4.1 m/s were measured, exceeding the 2 m/s threshold for official 100m records. What he did win, was a place on Team USA's 2008 Beijing Olympics roster. On the world's stage, countless eyes will be on Tyson Gay when he attempts to go for the gold, the world record, and the chance to become this generation's Olympic hero.

-Also note that Michael Johnson was also pretty good.
-Other links for those who don't remember the 1936 Olympics in Berlin or Jesse Owens. From what I can gather, Hitler had high hopes for the Nazi athletes under the theory of some inherent Aryan race superiority. Turns out Jesse had another perspective winning gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, and Long Jump.
-This year in Beijing, swimmer Michael Phelps is a strong favorite for a number of events. However, his arrest in November 2004 for driving under the influence (at age 19) makes it considerably more difficult for me to appreciate him as a role model.
-In his spare time, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is coaching the USA Men's National Basketball Team.
-The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London, UK. I'd like to go, so let me know if you want to as well.