The gun sounded, and runners were off their blocks sprinting down the track in the 100 meters on Saturday afternoon at the Prefontaine Classic. American record holder Tyson Gay was slow out of his stance, falling toward the back of the pack.
“I was a little bit nervous because it was my first race, and my start was horrible,” said Gay. “I think I was just trying to get the jitters out.”
He shook the nerves quickly, and he went on to kick in the last 50 meters, winning the race by .02 in 9.88 seconds.
“It was a great competition — great field, I basically was just competing,” said Gay. “I wanted the victory more than anything, so I was just happy to get a win.”
Fellow American Michael Rodgers, who led almost the whole way, came in second with a season-best time of 9.90. Gay caught up to Rodgers in the last 10 meters, barely edging him out just before the tape.
“I had a good race — I think I executed well,” said Rodgers. “I think I need to practice running through the tape instead of to it — that’s what cost me today. I’m happy with second place, but that’s something to work on.”
Bingtian Su came in third with a time of 9.99, making history by posting the first ever sub-10 second 100 meters by a Chinese runner.
Although Gay wasn’t happy with his start, the desire to win was powerful enough to carry him to the finish line ahead of the rest.
“It’s that competitive drive, you know? You just have to have that heart and have that desire to keep fighting it out,” said Gay. “A lot of those guys have had a few races under their belt, so they were a bit sharper than me. So I just had to compete.”
