100-meter Dash to Crown World`s Fastest Man

The Olympic men`s 100-meter race today will determine who is the world’s fastest human.

The three main contenders for the title are Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the United States.

Bolt shattered the world record in the event with a time of 9.72 seconds in June. Before that, Powell had held the record of 9.74 seconds.

Gay’s best time is 9.77 seconds but he set an unofficial world record of 9.68 this year.

Though Jamaica is well known for its outstanding sprinters, it has yet to win a gold medal in the 100 meters. The United States has won 16 golds in the event in 25 Olympics (the sixth, 12th and 13th Olympics were canceled because of war).

Bolt or Powell could give Jamaica its first gold in the event, but a victory by Gay will give the United States three consecutive golds in the competition. Maurice Greene won the event in 2000 and Justin Gatlin in 2004.

The Americans also dominated the 100 meters between the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1956 Melbourne Games. Since then, it has won two straight Olympic titles in the event three times.

Bolt is considered the favorite to win this year, followed by Powell and Gay in that order. Predicting the winner, however, is tough.

Last year, Gay beat Powell in the world athletic championships in Osaka, Japan. In July this year, Powell defeated Bolt in a race in Stockholm. Bolt then beat Gay when he set the world record.

Online sports betting site William Hill set dividend rate of 0.8 for Bolt, 2.3 for Gay and 2.75 for Powell, predicting Bolt is highly likely to win the gold.

Bolt, the youngest among the three, has recently shown good performances. Gay has also performed well at major events.

Powell, who has never won a major event, said he feels relieved since he doesn`t have the highest expectation.

Experts say the starting pace will determine the outcome. Most sprinters start 0.13-0.18 seconds later after the sound of the gun, and this makes a difference of at least 0.05 seconds.

Today`s race is also expected to result in yet another world record.

why@donga.com