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Anonymous
>>402907 Competing at this level is about being as magnanimous in victory as you are in defeat. The guys you are racing against must know you are doing your very best and it is up to you as a competitor to give it your all and leave a legacy for others to follow. Bolt did not do that because he did not run as fast as he could. Had he gone flat out, the guy could have done 9.50sec as opposed to 9.69, his eventual time. That may not sound much but believe me, it's a massive difference.
It's likely Bolt will eventually run 9.50, probably at one of the post-Olympic meets, but he did not do it at an Olympics and that is where it really counts. And there is no guarantee Bolt will get another chance to break the record at an Olympics; as the injury to Liu Xiang has shown us, your Olympic dream can be snuffed out in a heartbeat. No, this was Bolt's big chance and he did not fully grasp it. He could have been remembered as the man who ran 9.50 in an Olympic 100m final but instead he'll be remembered as the man who slapped his chest as he crossed the line and that is not in any way as powerful a legacy.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/08/19/bolts_showboating_is_a_slap_fo.html
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