Bolt is still the king, Tyson remains the hunter
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Just when Usain Bolt appeared so invincible, so untouchable, he was caught.
And just when Tyson Gay looked as if he might never close the gap on the Jamaican sensation, the US sprinter did precisely that.
With a stunning win in a 100-meter race last August in Stockholm, Gay erased some of Bolt's mystique, proving the world-record holder was actually mortal on the track.
Sure, it was just one race in a season with no major championships.
And granted, Bolt wasn't at his best, shutting his season down a few days later due to a tight lower back.
Still, a message was sent heading into 2011: Bolt does have some competition and it's no longer only against the clock.
"Look, Bolt's still the king and Tyson's still the hunter," four-time Olympic medal winner and track commentator Ato Boldon said.
"But as Bolt found out, it's a jungle out there and being the king of the lions is tough. Sometimes, when you get to the top, you need a little wake-up call. When Usain breaks his next record, maybe he'll look back and say, 'That whipping I took in Stockholm was the best thing.'"
The two titans of track may not meet until the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, in August.
To Gay, that seems like a natural setting. "A head-to-head matchup at world championships when all of us are healthy and fit is probably the best way to measure who is the best sprinter this year," the 28-year-old Gay said.
In the wake of the loss in Stockholm, Bolt made some significant lifestyle alterations. The fastest man on the planet cut down on his late-night partying - hasn't even been out in two months, he said - and switched from a fast-food diet to a more healthy one, bringing in a chef to cook for him. "My coach encourages me to lead a professional life off track (as) well as on track," Bolt said. "As I get older, I need to take good care of my body."
He's just 24 and hardly even into his prime track years yet. But Bolt realized that if he isn't on his game, isn't on top of his training, he can be tracked down. He can't rely on raw talent alone, even if it's served him so well this far.
"I always have respect for all my opponents and know that every offseason they go home and train even harder to try to get that No. 1 spot," said Bolt, who's scheduled to open his season with a 100-meter race in Rome on May 26 against countryman Asafa Powell.
"I am working hard to stay on top," he said.
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