OSAKA, Japan - In the hazy, still air of Nagai stadium, Tyson Gay delivered on a season in which he has dominated the men's 100 meters, winning the event in impressive fashion Sunday night at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
Gay entered the meet owning the fastest time in the world in 2007, with his 9.84 from the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships, but world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica had looked in top form during the rounds. Gay, by contrast, had had somewhat sluggish starts through the rounds as he competed on the World stage for the first time.
Although Sunday's final was close from the gun, the outcome was never truly in doubt. With Powell in lane 4 and Gay in 5, the American had a very solid start, with the third-fastest reaction time of the field, and was virtually even with Powell. But it is the second half of Gay's 100m that is most impressive, and when he moved ahead at 60 meters, the race was as good as over.
Gay won convincingly in 9.85 seconds (-0.5 mps wind), while Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas, running off Gay's shoulder in lane 6, overtook Powell to finish second in a national-record time of 9.91 seconds. Powell was third in 9.96, in a race that featured eight athletes from eight different countries.
