Usain Bolt capped his stunning rise to stardom with an Olympic title Saturday and, without even really trying, set a world record in the 100 meters. With world champion Tyson Gay out in the semifinals, the 21-year-old Jamaican seemingly only had Asafa Powell to beat, but when he looked around and realized he was all clear with 30 meters to go, he coasted and still set a world record of 9.69 seconds. Well behind, Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago took the silver medal in 9.89, and Walter Dix of the United States was third in 9.91. Powell again crumbled under the pressure of a big competition and finished fifth. “Usain was spectacular,” Powell said. “He was definitely untouchable.” If athletics was looking for a defining moment to get the sport back on track after years of doping scandals, this was it. And the sellout crowd of 91,000 at the Bird's Nest let out a huge cheer, realizing it had seen something historic under the Olympic flame. With a third of the race to go, Bolt had the luxury to look right, realize he was in a class all his own, outstretch his arms, and pound his chest as he crossed the line, slicing .03 off the record he set earlier this season. He looked like a wide-eyed giant of 1.93 meters, happy to take in the whole occasion ahead the race. Afterward, he became the happiest of Jamaicans with the biggest of grins, his canary yellow shirt disappearing in a sea of friends while reggae music blared. What was supposed to be a three-way battle turned into a one-man show never seen before. In four races in two days, not once did he push himself to the limit, yet produced the most stunning series of races. All for a guy who was hardly known outside his Caribbean nation at the start of the season. And to think his coach doubted whether to let him run the double up to a few weeks ago. Instead, Bolt produced one of the most epic races in track history. And he can make it even better. He is the overwhelming favorite for the 200, and with Powell as a teammate Jamaica is now a favorite to beat the Americans at their game - the 4x100m relay next weekend. Tense before his semifinal start, Gay was slow out of the blocks and never caught up. US teammate Darvis Patton convincingly dipped for the line and the world champion didn't, making the difference between four and five – between making the final in track's premier event and stunning disappointment. The Olympics were Gay's first competition since straining his hamstring at the US trials six weeks ago. It caught up with him in the third qualifying race in just over 36 hours. Now Gay's only chance at Olympic medals will come in the relays. The triple gold medalist from last year's world championships didn't qualify for the 200 when he pulled up lame at the US trials. All other finals were overshadowed. Nataliia Dobrynska won the heptathlon in a 1-2 finish for Ukraine, recording a total of 6733 points. The 2004 world indoor champion finished last in the final graded 800m race, but earned enough points to hold off Lydumila Blonska (6700 points), who served a two-year doping ban before coming back to take silver at last year's world championships. Hyleas Fountain (6619) of the US took bronze. Valerie Vili won the shot put, giving New Zealand its first Olympic gold medal in track and field since 1976. The 23-year-old Vili won with a throw of 20.56 meters, a two-centimeter improvement on the Oceania record she set in winning at the world championships last year. She beat two Belorussians, Natallia Mikhnevich and Nadzeya Ostapchuk. Ahead of the fastest race at the Olympics, Russia got on the medal stand with a walk. Valeriy Borchin was the surprise winner in the 20-kilometer walk, spoiling the farewell Olympics of Jefferson Perez, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist. – AP __
