USAIN BOLT -- THE FASTEST MAN ON EARTH!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER INDEED IN THIS MODERN ERA -- IT'S THE BEIJING OLYMPICS, WITH MORE THAN A BILLION PEOPLE INTENTLY WATCHING THEIR TELEVISION SCREENS TO SEE HOW USAIN BOLT WILL DO IN THE 200M RACE.

HE'D ALREADY CLINCHED THE 100M RACE WITH A RECORD-SHATTERING TIME OF 9.69 SECONDS.

TONIGHT, USAIN IS HIS USUAL JOVIAL SELF, FOOLING AROUND WITH THE TELEVISION CAMERAS AND WITH THE AUDIENCE HE KNOWS ARE WATCHING HIM CLOSELY INTHE STADIUM AND ALL AROUND THE WORLD.


THEN, WHEN THE 200M RACE STARTED... IT WAS QUITE A SPECTACULAR SIGHT INDEED SEEING USAIN BOLT OF JAMAICA AGAIN SHATTER THE WORLD 200M RECORD BY CLOCKING IN 19.30 SECONDS AT THE GLORIOUS BIRD'S NEST STADIUM IN BEIJING.
(THE BIRDS NEST IS GORGEOUS AND IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STADIUM IN THE WOLRD WITH THE CAPACITY TO SEAT MORE THAN 90,000 FANS -- OH, AND THE CHINESE MUST BE CREDITED AS BEING THE BEST OLYMPICS GAMES AUDIENCE EVER... THEY TRULY KNOW HOW TO SPOT AND SUPPORT TALENT!)

ANYWAY, AGAIN, USAIN BOLT WAS HEAD AND SHOULDERS AND ARMS AND LEGS AND TORSO AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE. GENETICALLY, THIS FASTEST MAN ON EARTH HAS TO BE AS CLOSE TO PERFECTION AS A MAN POSSIBLY CAN BE.

THEN, FITTINGLY, AFTER HE'D CONQUERED THE 200M RACE, THE CAMERAS FLIRTED WITH HIM AS HE ALSO, IN TURN, FLIRTED WITH THE AUDIENCE BOTH IN THE STADIUM AND THOSE WHO'D BEEN WATCHING HIS FEAT ON TV AT HOME. THROUGHOUT, THE ROAR OF THE CROWD IN THE STADIUM WAS THUNDEROUS. (CROWD THEN SPORTINGLY SANG THE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" SONG FOR USAIN WHO IS CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY THE NEXT DAY.)

PRIOR TO THE START OF THE 200M RACE, I WAS WONDERING HOW USAIN BOLT WOULD COPE WITH SO MUCH PRESSURE BEARING DOWN HIS BACK AS EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN FOLLOWING THE OLYMPICS GAMES IN BEIJING HAD HIGH HOPES FOR HIM TO OUTDO THE WORLD RECORD. SURPRISINGLY, HE WAS CHARMING AND COOL AS A CUCUMBER AND LAPPED UP ALL THE ATTENTION EVERYONE WAS SHOWERING ON HIM!

TOMORROW, USAIN BOLT OF JAMAICA TURNS 22 AND WINNING THE 200M IN GREAT STYLE IS A GREAT WAY TO START HIS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.

THESE EXCELLENT PICTURES ARE FROM NEW YORK TIMES. SEE THE NYT WEBSITE (WWW.NYTIMES.COM) FOR THE WORLD'S BEST COVERAGE OF THE BEIJING 2008 OLYMPICS IN CHINA.