Tyson Gay is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field
sprinterSprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
. His primary events are the
100 metersThe 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and
200 metersA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 (which is a
United States recordThe following are the national records in track & field in the United States maintained by USA Track & Field .Key:-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
) and 19.58 seconds respectively.
Gay has won numerous medals in major international competitions, including a
gold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
sweep of the 100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 meters relay at the
2007 Osaka World ChampionshipsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
. This made Gay the second sprinter to win all three events at the same World Championships, after
Maurice GreeneMaurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...
.
At the same meet, Gay suffered a severe
hamstringIn human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury in the 200 m event. The injury persisted and this contributed to his failure to win a single medal at the Beijing Olympics. As a participant in the US Anti-Doping Agency's "Project Believe" program, Gay is regularly tested to ensure that his system is clean of performance-enhancing drugs.
Gay also holds the record for the fastest non-winning time for the 100 metres. In August 2009, he ran 9.71 seconds in the World Athletics Championships from Berlin, Germany. Tyson Gay remains the only sprinter to have defeated
Usain BoltThe Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
in a final since Bolt made his first world record run. Gay ran a
wind assistedWind assistance is a term in track and field, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport....
9.68 at the 2008 US Olympic trials.
Early life
Born on August 9, 1982 in
LexingtonLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Tyson Gay is the only son of Daisy Gay and Greg Mitchell. Athletic prowess was part of family life; Gay's grandmother ran for
Eastern Kentucky UniversityEastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
and his mother Daisy also competed in her youth, though she was pregnant with her first child by her early teens. Gay's older sister, Tiffany, was a keen sprinter and had a successful high school career. Tiffany and Tyson Gay, encouraged by their mother, raced at every opportunity, training hard at school and on the hills in their neighborhood. There was strong competition between the two, and Gay later said that his sister's quick reaction time inspired him to improve.
Amateur career
Although Gay tended to be a slow starter on the track, he worked hard to improve and broke the
Lafayette High SchoolLafayette Senior High School is a public high school located in Lexington, Kentucky's Picadome neighborhood. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky....
stadium record for the 200 meters. Under the tutelage of Ken Northington, a former 100 yard dash state champion, Gay began working on his technique and rhythm. By his senior year he was a more composed athlete and he focused on the 100 meters, winning the state championship in the event and setting a new championship record of 10.60 s. In spite of this, his mother noted that he was not fully applying himself and was taking his abilities for granted. Gay was also not a studious child and he failed to achieve the grades needed to enter a Division I sports college. However, the Kentucky High School State Championships in June 2001 demonstrated his abilities: he won gold in the 100 m, setting a new personal best and state record with 10.46 s, a record which stands to this day. In the 200 m he took silver with another new personal best of 21.23 s. At a 2001 track event, Gay met trainer Lance Brauman and the college coach convinced him to attend
Barton County Community CollegeBarton Community College is a two-year junior college located in Great Bend, Kansas. Its service area includes Barton, Ellsworth, Pawnee, Rush and Russell Counties,Stafford County north of US Highway 50, and northwestern Rice County.Athletics:The school is more commonly known for it nationally...
. It was here that Gay first met
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, and the two formed a close bond, becoming training partners.
The move to the college in Great Bend,
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, marked further progression for Gay: in 2002 his 100 m and 200 m times dropped to 10.08 s and 20.21 s respectively, albeit with
wind assistanceWind assistance is a term in track and field, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport....
. He improved upon his legal personal bests too, recording a 100 m run of 10.27 s and 20.88 s in the 200 m. He also continued to outstrip the competition, winning the 100 m at the junior-college (JUCO) meeting. Returning to the JUCO event the following year, with the wind in his favour, Gay took bronze in the 100 m with 10.01 s and silver in the 200 m with 20.31 s. Injuries upset the rest of 2003 for Gay, and his coach Brauman moved on to work as the sprint coach at the
University of ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. Gay decided to follow his tutor and he was keen to join the university's highly successful amateur
track and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
program; Arkansas had dominated
National Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Indoor and Outdoor competitions for the previous ten years.
National debut
Gay chose to study sociology and marketing, and the university environment gave the 22-year-old sprinter his first opportunity to compete in NCAA events. In the
NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipNCAA team champions for Men's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*Pre-NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champions...
in March, Gay finished fourth in the
60 metersThe 60 meter band or 5 MHz band is a relatively new amateur radio allocation and originally only available in a few countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and Iceland...
, with 6.63 s, and fifth in the closely fought 200 m with a time of 20.58 s (he missed out on second place by only two hundredths of a second). The
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...
in June proved far more fruitful, however, as Gay became Arkansas' first 100 m NCAA champion, setting a school record of 10.06 s. Furthermore, his efforts in the event helped the Arkansas athletic team win the NCAA Championship.
The results of Gay's first 2004
US Olympic TrialsThe United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
confirmed his status as a rising contender in the 100 m and 200 m events. Although he did not reach the final of either event, he reached the semis of the highly competitive 100 m and posted a 200 m personal best of 20.07 s in the qualifying stages. A hamstring injury due to dehydration prevented Gay from competing in the 200 m final, but he did not see the trials as a missed opportunity, rather a springboard for future events: "I was really focused upon the team, had a great shot, but it was a learning experience—how to take care of my body." The end of year
Track and Field News rankings for United States sprinters showed him to be the eighth fastest 100 m runner and the fourth fastest sprinter over 200 m that year—indicative of his potential, he was younger than all those ranked ahead of him.
In Gay's final year as an amateur athlete he started well, setting a personal best and school record of 6.55 s in the 60 m at the 2005 Championship Series. He helped the University team to another NCAA outdoor victory, setting a new personal best of 19.93 s in the 200 m qualifiers and placing third in the finals. Training partner and friend
Wallace SpearmonWallace Spearmon, Jr., is a sprint athlete, who specializes in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics...
took first place with 19.91 s—his time and Gay's 19.93 s were the second and third-fastest 200 m times in the world that year. The pair teamed up for the 4 x 100 m relay, along with
Michael GrantMichael Grant is an American football cornerback and safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
and
Omar BrownCommonwealth GamesOmar Brown is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres.He was successful as a junior athlete, winning the silver and bronze medals in the 200 m and 100 metres races at the 1999 World Youth Championships. The following year he finished fourth at the World Junior...
, and won with an Arkansas-record-breaking time of 38.49 s. With the NCAA Championships behind him, in June 2005 Gay decided to become a professional athlete, setting his sights on a place in the US 200 m team for the
Helsinki World ChampionshipsThe 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
.
Debut season
Upon turning professional, Gay entered the USA Outdoor Championships, where he took silver in the 200 m with 20.06 s. He was selected for the 200 m at the
2005 World Championships in AthleticsThe 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
in
HelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and finished fourth, beaten by three of his compatriots (
Justin GatlinJustin Gatlin is an American sprinter. He is an Olympic gold medalist, with a 100 m personal best of 9.85 seconds. He served a four-year ban from track and field for testing positive for a banned substance; Gatlin had appealed the ban in 2009, but it was later denied.- Biography :Gatlin attended...
, Spearmon and
John CapelJohn Capel, Jr. is an American track and field athlete who was a world champion sprinter. Capel played college football for the University of Florida, where he was also a member of the Florida Gators track and field team....
). This completed the unprecedented feat of a single nation taking the top four positions at the championship event. Gay formed part of the 4 x 100 m relay team but a poor baton exchange between
Mardy ScalesMarcellus Andrellious "Mardy" Scales is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.He won a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games...
and
Leonard ScottLeonard Scott is an American sprinter mainly competing in the 100 meters event. Scott attended the University of Tennessee on a track scholarship and turned professional in 2002. In 2005 he joined the exclusive list of sprinters to run the 100 in less than 10 seconds. A month later he finished...
resulted in disqualification. Later in the month, Gay briefly turned his attentions to the 100 m and scored a season's best of 10.08 s at the
RietiRieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
Grand Prix.
He ended the 2005 season on a positive note by winning the gold medal in the 200 m at the
World Athletics FinalThe 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 9, and September 10, 2005.The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary on September 3 as the Monaco stadium was not large enough to hold the event.- Medal...
, his first major championship title. His time of 19.96 s was his second fastest that year and fourth fastest of any sprinter that season. Although he stated that the quality of the competition and memories of Helsinki had made him nervous beforehand, he went on to beat all three American sprinters he had lost to in the World Championships, becoming the first athlete to beat Gatlin over 200 m that season. It was not only his rival sprinters that would cause future difficulties, however, as Gay's coach Brauman was indicted for various crimes relating to his time at Barton College and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He had helped athletes gain funds and credits that they were not entitled to. Following Gay's testimony, the courts ruled that Brauman was guilty and, as a result, Arkansas' two NCAA titles and all of Gay's college track times were annulled. None of the athletes were charged with any wrongdoing. Although he was imprisoned for 10 months, Brauman continued to train Gay, periodically updating him with coaching routines and techniques.
Double event sprinter
The 2006 athletics season saw Gay rise to the top of the rankings for the first time and become a genuine contender in the 100 m. He became the 2006 US Outdoor Champion in unfortunate circumstances: Gay originally finished second in 10.07 s with a strong headwind, but winner Gatlin was later disqualified for steroid abuse. Gay significantly improved upon his previous 200 m personal best by over two-tenths of a second at the
IAAF Grand PrixThe IAAF Grand Prix was an annual global circuit of fourteen one day athletics competitions as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
in
LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. However, his time of 19.70 s was not enough to beat newcomer
Xavier CarterXavier Carter is an American professional track and field athlete. He attended Louisiana State University and was a star on the track and field team as well a member of the football team. Prior to LSU, Xavier Carter graduated from Palm Bay Senior High School in Melbourne, FL...
who ran the second fastest time ever with 19.63 s. Improvements in the 100 m followed, as he won the
RethymnoRethymno is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno peripheral unit in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity , even though was never a competitive Minoan centre...
track meet and set another personal best with 9.88 s. Gay scored another sub-10 second 100 m at the
StockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Grand Prix, finishing second to
Asafa PowellAsafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
with a 9.97 s, and beating
Michael JohnsonMichael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
's British all-comers 200 m record with a 19.84 s win in London. Gay continued to improve at the 100 m, revising his personal best to 9.84 s at the
ZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
Golden League meet, but it was not enough to beat Powell, who equaled his own world record of 9.77 s.
Gay's 200 m performance at the
2006 IAAF World Athletics FinalThe 4th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 9 and September 10, 2006.-Results:-External links:*...
in
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
was the culmination of a highly successful year. He became the World Athletics Final champion with another improved personal best of 19.68 s, making him the joint third-fastest 200 m sprinter with
NamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n
Frankie FredericksFrank Fredericks is a former athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games , making him Namibia's first and so far only Olympic medalist...
. Gay was pleased that Fredericks was on site to see his best equaled: "To run that time in front of Frankie is a privilege. He's someone I admire a great deal both as an athlete and as a man." Gay also won a bronze medal in the 100 m, finishing behind Powell and Scott. However, Gay proved himself over 100 m at the
2006 IAAF World CupThe 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece....
, taking gold with a 9.88 s run. At the end of the season, with Gatlin banned from competition, Gay dominated the
Track and Field News US 2006 list, having run six of the seven fastest 100 m, with Scott in third, and four of the top six 200 m times (behind Carter and Spearmon). Furthermore, he was the second fastest 100 m runner in the world that year, second only to world record holder Powell. Having proven himself to be adept at both 100 and 200 m, Gay reflected upon his development as a sprinter:
Road to Osaka World Championships
With Brauman still serving his sentence, Gay began working with a new coach – Olympic gold medalist
Jon DrummondJonathan A. Drummond is an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics....
. Drummond was renowned for being quick off the mark, and Gay hoped that he could help improve his starting times.
Gay aimed to challenge
World Record holderWorld records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Athletics records comprise the best performances in the sports of track and field, road running and racewalking....
Powell's dominance of the 100 m event, stating: "I want this to be a rivalry. I want to step up to the plate".
His performances backed up his remarks, as he started the 2007 outdoor season with two wind-assisted runs of 9.79 s and 9.76 s. The latter time was recorded with a wind only 0.2 m/s over the allowed limit, and was superior to Powell's record of 9.77 s.
At the US National Championships he equaled his 100 m best of 9.84 s while running into the wind. This was a meeting record and the second fastest 100 m time with a headwind after Maurice Greene's 9.82 s run. He followed this with a new 200 m personal best in the finals, again facing an impeding wind. His time of 19.62 s was the second fastest ever; only Johnson's 19.32 s run at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was faster. Gay was happy with the achievement but noted that the competition was still strong: "I wasn't thinking about any time. I was trying to get away from Spearmon as fast as I could.". After noting that he was feeling worn out, Gay had a brief recuperation period in preparation for the
2007 World ChampionshipsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
in
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan. He returned to the track in Europe and, while weather conditions were poor, he won the 200 m in
LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
with 19.78 s and had wins at 100 m events in
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and London. He relished the opportunity to face Powell at the World Championships: both sprinters were undefeated that year and Gay said that he felt ready for the challenge.
Facing each other for the first time that year, the IAAF described the 100 m final in Osaka as "the season’s most eagerly-anticipated battle". Gay won with a time of 9.85 s, sprinting ahead of
Derrick AtkinsDerrick Atkins is a Bahamian sprinter. Atkins specializes in the 100 metres event and also holds the national record, with a time of 9.91 seconds...
and third-placed Powell to become the new 100 m world champion. Although this was the American's first major 100 m title, he remained respectful of Powell:
Gay doubled his gold medal count in the 200 m event. He ran a new championship record time of 19.76 s to win a second gold medal, beating
Usain BoltThe Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
and Spearmon to the post. Bolt was clear to point out that he lost to the better athlete: "I got beaten by the No. 1 man in the world. For the moment, he is unbeatable.". Only Maurice Greene and Gatlin had won the sprint double at the Championships before, but Gay eyed a third gold in the 4 x 100 meters relay. The Americans faced stiff competition from the Jamaican team, which included Powell and Bolt. The Jamaicans set a national record, but it was not enough to beat the United States team, who finished in a world-leading time of 37.78 s. Gay won his third gold medal alongside
Darvis PattonDarvis "Doc" Darell Patton is an American sprint athlete. He was the US Champion and World silver medallist over 200 meters in 2003...
, Spearmon and
Leroy DixonLeroy Dixon is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.He won the gold medal in 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2007 World Championships, together with Darvis Patton, Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay...
. The triple-gold haul repeated the feat achieved by Maurice Greene at the
1999 Seville World ChampionshipsThe 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....
and
Carl LewisFrederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
in 1983 and 1987.
Although Gay had been bullish in victory on the track, the achievement did not change him—he remained humble and appreciative to his rivals. In November he was chosen as the IAAF Male World Athlete of the Year for 2007 and in his acceptance speech he paid tribute to his peers, encouraging Powell to remain focused and saying that he highly regarded the Jamaican. He also dismissed comparisons to his forebears, commenting: "I honestly believe that I need to have the World record like some of the other great sprinters like Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene. I think that sets you apart, having medals and having the World record." At the end of the season Gay was elected 2007 Men's Athlete of the Year by
Track and Field News (topping the year's list as the fastest 100 m and 200 m sprinter), and he won the USATF's
Harrison DillardWilliam Harrison Dillard is an American track and field athlete, only the second male so far to win Olympic titles in both sprinting and hurdling events. Dillard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, attended East Technical High School...
award as the top US male sprinter.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Following Brauman's release from prison, Gay set out preparing for the Beijing Olympics, training with both Brauman and Jon Drummond in the off-season. Returning to competition in May, he continued as he had left off in 2007: winning the 200 m in Kingston, taking gold in both sprints at the
Adidas Track ClassicThe Adidas Track Classic is an American track and field athletics meeting which has taken place annually in Carson, California since 2005. The meeting forms part of the USA Track & Field Visa Championship Series and is also one of the few area meetings where athletes can earn points to qualify for...
, and finishing second in the 100 m at the Reebok Grand Prix with a 9.85 s run. However, Gay now faced a new, emerging challenger in Usain Bolt; at the latter event Bolt had beaten Gay with a world-record-setting 9.72 s. Taking this into consideration, he realized that a world record time would be needed to beat both Bolt and Powell at the Olympics; Gay aimed to run below 9.70 s. With athletes running such quick times, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) sought to counter claims of performance-enhancing drugs use through "Project Believe", a regular, extensive drugs testing program. The
BALCO scandalThe BALCO scandal is a scandal involving the use of banned, performance-enhancing substances by professional athletes. The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative was a San Francisco Bay Area business accused of supplying steroids to Major League Baseball players...
and the banning of high profile athletes, including Gatlin and
Marion JonesMarion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, had damaged the public's perception of sprinting and the USADA recruited Gay to prove clean athletes could be just as successful.
The favorite for qualification in both the 100 m and 200 m at the US Olympic Trials, Gay put in a strong performance in the heats. After a misjudgement in the first round almost caused him to miss out on qualification, Gay resolved to step up his pace, and he won the 100 m quarter-final with a
US recordThe following are the national records in track & field in the United States maintained by USA Track & Field .Key:-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
-setting run of 9.77 s. Breaking Maurice Greene's nine-year-old record, this made Gay the third fastest 100 m sprinter ever, after rivals Bolt and Powell. In the final the following day, Gay finished first in a wind-aided 9.68 s (+4.1 m/s). This was the fastest ever 100 m time under any conditions, bettering the 9.69 s record which
Obadele ThompsonObadele Thompson is a sprint athlete from Barbados;. In 2000, he became the first Olympic medalist from Barbados with a bronze medal in the 100m race.-Biography:...
had set 12 years earlier. The 200 m event was a significant setback for Gay as he suffered a hamstring injury in the qualifiers and was subsequently ruled out of the event for the Olympics. The injury persisted for several weeks and he dropped out of track meetings in order to recover in time for the Olympics.
Gay made his track return in
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
but his injury had reduced his 100 m medal chances and Bolt and Powell were more favored to win the event. The much anticipated Gay, Bolt and Powell final never materialised, however, as Gay failed to qualify in the semi-finals. Finishing fifth after recording 10.05 s, Gay denied that he was still injured, but claimed the hamstring problem had upset his training schedule.
Further disappointment followed as the American 4 x 100 m relay team, with Gay as anchor, failed to qualify for the final.
Darvis PattonDarvis "Doc" Darell Patton is an American sprint athlete. He was the US Champion and World silver medallist over 200 meters in 2003...
and Gay failed to pass on the baton in the heat. Gay personally took responsibility for the dropped baton but Patton denied this was true, saying "That's Tyson Gay. He's a humble guy, but I know it's my job to get the guy the baton and I didn't do that." After stating his desire to win four Olympic gold medals earlier in the year, Gay finished the 2008 Olympics without a single medal. Having failed to reach the finals of the 100 m sprint or relay, he reflected upon his failure to make the podium in Beijing: "[I felt the baton] then I went to grab it and there was nothing. It's kind of the way it's been happening to me this Olympics."
Gay rounded off the season in Europe, winning in the 200 m at
GatesheadGateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, but he had to withdraw from a ÅF Golden League race against Bolt and Powell due to his hamstring injury.
World silver and US record
Gay returned to competition after the indoor athletics season, recording a new 400 m personal best of 45.57 seconds in May. In his first 200 m outing of the season at the
Reebok Grand PrixThe Adidas Grand Prix, formerly the Reebok Grand Prix, is an annual athletics meeting at the Icahn Stadium in New York City, United States. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
, he set a personal best and meet record of 19.58 seconds. This was the third fastest 200 m run ever, after Bolt and Johnson's world record-setting times. Following a wind-aided (3.4 m/s) 100 m run of 9.75 s at the
US ChampionshipsThe 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 25–28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The competition acted as a way of selecting the United States team for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin later that year....
, Gay stated that he could beat the world record if he improved his technique. Record holder Bolt dismissed the challenge, saying that it would be difficult for Gay as "he is more of a 200 m runner". At the
Golden GalaGolden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...
in July, Gay beat Asafa Powell's 9.88 season's best with a 9.77 second run, equaling his own US record. This improved upon Bolt's previous world leading time of 9.86 seconds.
The first event at the
2009 World ChampionshipsThe 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in August was the 100 m. After two sub-10 clockings in the preliminary rounds, Gay reached the final, along with Jamaicans Bolt and Powell. He ran a new US record of 9.71 seconds in the race, the third-fastest time in history, but even so had to settle for second place, losing his 100 m world title to Bolt, who knocked 0.11 seconds off the world record with a run of 9.58 seconds.
At the
Shanghai Golden Grand PrixThe Shanghai Golden Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, PR China as part of the IAAF Diamond League. The meeting has had its inaugural edition in 2005...
, on 20 September 2009, Gay ran the second-fastest men's 100 m on record, winning in 9.69 seconds, matching
Usain BoltThe Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
's winning time at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. After beating Powell for the sixth time in
DaeguDaegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
, Gay stated that he would reconsider his plans for groin surgery in the off-season as it was mainly a case of resolving discomfort when running, rather than a more serious injury.
2010: First Diamond League
At the start of the 2010 outdoor season, Gay ran a new 400 m best time of 44.89 seconds. This run, which improved upon his previous record by nearly seven tenths of a second, made him the first sprinter ever to run under the significant time barriers in the three sprints – under ten seconds for the 100 m, twenty seconds for the 200 m, and 45 seconds for the 400 m.
At the Great City Games in Manchester, England in May, he set his sights on breaking
Tommie SmithTommie Smith is an African American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith won the 200-meter dash finals in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20 second barrier was broken...
's 44-year-old world best mark over a 200 m straight. He beat Smith's time of 19.5 by finishing in 19.41 seconds – including a first 100 m of 9.88 and a first 150 m of 14.41 seconds. He suffered from hamstring difficulty after the run but returned to compete at the
Prefontaine ClassicThe Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
in
Eugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in July – his first meeting of the
2010 IAAF Diamond LeagueThe 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
. Running over 200 m, he finished in 19.76 seconds but was beaten to the line by
Walter DixWalter Dix is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the fourth fastest 200 m runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 m with a best of 9.88 seconds.Dix was a highly successful amateur...
, who returned from a year-long hiatus. A week later he attended the
British Grand PrixThe British Grand Prix is an annual athletics meeting. It is part of the IAAF Diamond League series of track and field meets and it is sponsored by Aviva...
and, in spite of poor conditions, he gained a victory over his rival Asafa Powell with a 9.93-second run. He set a meet record of 19.72 seconds at the
HerculisThe Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
meeting in Monaco later that month, but expressed disappointment with his race execution as
Yohan BlakeYohan Blake is a Jamaican sprinter and the current 100 metre World Champion. He holds the national junior record for the 100 metres, and tied Seun Ogunkoya as the youngest sprinter to have broken the 10-second barrier...
came close to overhauling him at the finish.
The 100 m at the
DN Galan-External links:**...
meeting in Stockholm saw Gay's first match-up of the year against Bolt. He surprised the Olympic and World champion with a resounding victory, beating him with 9.84 to Bolt's 9.97 seconds. This was only the second time Bolt had lost a 100 m final – the first occurring in July 2008 against Powell (also at Stockholm Olympic Stadium). Gay broke Powell's stadium record and earned a one carat diamond for the feat. Gay chose not to overstate the significance of the win, acknowledging that Bolt was far from peak fitness: "It feels great to beat Usain but deep down inside I know he is not 100%. I look forward to beating him when he is". With Bolt and Powell both out with injuries, Gay won unchallenged at the
London Grand PrixThe Aviva London Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London, England.Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League...
the following week, running a world leading time of 9.78 seconds despite poor weather. A victory at the Memorial van Damme in 9.79 seconds earned him the first Diamond Race Trophy for the 100 m.
Personal life
Gay has a daughter with Shoshana Boyd, Trinity, who was born around 2001, and enjoys taking care of both his own daughter and his niece Destin. While Brauman was in prison for fraud, Gay looked after the coach's wife and daughter. His mother Daisy married Tim Lowe in 1995, adding two half-siblings, Seth and Haleigh Lowe, to Gay's family.
Gay attended the St. John Missionary
BaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church as a child, and when he returns home he still attends the church services. His beliefs matter to him both on and off the track: "I'm a religious man, so I really believe in my God-given ability, that I can do the unexpected. I really do believe I can break a record, or come close to it, or win a medal." He is frequently described as a modest and respectful athlete, standing in direct contrast with previous world-class US sprinters.
Gay has sponsorship deals with
AdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Omega SA,
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
and
Sega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
Achievements
Gay holds the US record in the 100 m with 9.69 s, making him the second fastest sprinter in the history of the event after Usain Bolt. His 19.58 s makes him history's fifth fastest 200 m runner. In 2010 Gay was a member of the fifth-fastest 4 x 100 m relay team in history, running a 37.45 s with teammates
Trell KimmonsDavid "Trell" Kimmons is an American sprinter.At the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics, Kimmons was part of a Gold medal winning 4×100 metres relay squad that established a junior world record with 38.66 seconds...
,
Wallace SpearmonWallace Spearmon, Jr., is a sprint athlete, who specializes in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics...
and Michael Rodgers in
Weltklasse ZürichWeltklasse Zürich is an annual track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. One of the first large-scale international athletics events , it is sometimes referred to as the one day...
2010. His sprint combination of 100 m and 200 m in 9.84 s and 19.62 s, run over two days in 2007, was the best ever combo at that time. During the Tom Jones Memorial Classic in
GainesvilleGainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
on April 17, 2010 Tyson Gay clocked 44.89 in the 400 m event and became the first man in history to dip under 10.00 in the 100 m, under 20.00 in the 200 m and under 45.00 in the 400 m. Tyson Gay remains the only sprinter to have beaten
Usain BoltThe Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
in a final since Bolt's world record runs at the 2008 Olympics.
Personal bests
| Event |
Time (seconds) |
Venue |
Date |
Meet |
Ref |
| 60 m 60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
(Indoor) |
6.55 |
FayettevilleFayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, United States |
February 11, 2005 |
Tyson Invitational |
|
| 100 m The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
|
9.69 (+1.0 m/s) |
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China |
September 20, 2009 |
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, PR China as part of the IAAF Diamond League. The meeting has had its inaugural edition in 2005...
|
|
| 200 m A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
|
19.58 (+1.3 m/s) |
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States |
May 30, 2009 |
Adidas Grand Prix |
|
| 200 m straight The 200 metres straight is a track and field outdoor event of 200 metres on a straight track.In the 1960s, the straight 200 metres was a separate world record event for men until IAAF deleted this variation from its list of official records....
|
19.41 (−0.4 m/s) |
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, United Kingdom |
May 16, 2010 |
Manchester City Games |
|
| 400 m The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
|
44.89 |
Gainesville Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, United States |
April 17, 2010 |
Tom Jones Memorial Classic |
|
Competition record
| Year |
Tournament |
Venue |
Result |
Event |
Time (seconds) |
| 2005 |
World Championships in AthleticsThe 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
|
HelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland |
4th |
200 m |
20.34 |
| 2005 |
IAAF World Athletics Final The 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 9, and September 10, 2005.The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary on September 3 as the Monaco stadium was not large enough to hold the event.- Medal...
|
Monte CarloMonte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, Monaco |
1st |
200 m |
19.96 |
| 2006 |
IAAF World Athletics Final The 4th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 9 and September 10, 2006.-Results:-External links:*...
|
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany |
3rd |
100 m |
9.92 |
| 2006 |
IAAF World Athletics Final The 4th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 9 and September 10, 2006.-Results:-External links:*...
|
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany |
1st |
200 m |
19.68 |
| 2006 |
IAAF World Cup The 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece....
|
AthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece |
1st |
100 m |
9.88 |
| 2007 |
World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
|
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan |
1st |
100 mThe 100 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Nagai Stadium on August 25 and August 26.-Medalists:-Records:-Results:-Heats:...
|
9.85 |
| 2007 |
World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
|
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan |
1st |
200 mThese are the official results of the men's 200 metres event at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. There were a total number of 49 participating athletes, with six qualifying heats and the final held on Thursday August 30.-Medalists:...
|
19.76 |
| 2007 |
World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
|
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan |
1st |
4x100 m relay The men's 4 x 100 metre relay at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Nagai Stadium on 31 August and 1 September.-Medalists:* Runners who participated in the heats only and received medals.-Records:...
|
37.78 |
| 2008 |
Beijing Olympics |
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China |
5th (semi-finals) |
100 mThe following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.-Qualification:Each National Olympic Committee was able to enter up to three entrants providing they had met the A standard in the qualifying period...
|
10.05 |
| 2008 |
Beijing Olympics |
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China |
DSQ |
4x100 m relay The Men's 4 × 100 metre relay event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 21 and 22 August at the Beijing National Stadium.There were 16 NOCs competing at this event. These 16 NOCs were selected by the average of the two best marks at the qualifying period. Australia was 14th but withdrew and the...
|
Disqualified |
| 2009 |
World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
|
BerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany |
2nd |
100 m |
9.71 |
| 2009 |
IAAF World Athletics Final The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...
|
Thesaloniki, Greece |
1st |
100 m |
9.88 |
External links
- Tyson Gay's official website
- USATF profile for Tyson Gay
- Videos from Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
- "Tyson Gay", n°10 on Time
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"