Posted by By Gary Smith (World-Track), TrackAlerts
DAEGU — Tyson Gay, who recently produced two stunning performances, despite being bothered by a groin injury, backed up Usain Bolt’s coach Glen Mills’ statement that he can run faster than 9.69.
Gay set a then American record of 9.71seconds when finishing second to Usain Bolt in a world record race in Berlin in August, before returning to lower his mark at the Shanghai Grand Prix a week ago to 9.69.
Mills on Thursday said: “I am sure that Tyson will run faster.”
Meanwhile, Gay said: “The races in both Shanghai and Berlin show me that I can and will get faster.”
“I know I can go faster. I just need to get healthy, get rested and then get back to work,” an optimistic Gay told reporters, following his win in Daegu, South Korea on Friday.
The 27-year-old was not keen on saying he would have beaten Bolt had he not been bothered by the injury, but the American believes he could have gone faster than 9.69s.
“Tough to say (if I could have run faster) and probably it isn’t worth trying to guess,” Gay said. “But I do think I could have run faster than 9.69.”
Gay, who won all but one race in the head-to-head clash with rival Asafa Powell this season and suffered defeat in his only clash with Bolt this year, may require surgery on the groin in the off season and he said he was constantly under pressure with the Jamaicans around him.
“Constant soreness is tough to get used to mentally … especially when you have guys like Usain and Asafa on either side of you,” he said, adding that he will get a second opinion before finalizing whether to have surgery.
“The doctors I’ve seen say I need surgery to get rid of the pain,” he said. “But I will confirm this with another doctor’s opinion when I get home.”
Gay closed his season with a 9.94s winning performance at the Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting on Friday to cement his dominance over Powell, the former world record holder when the mark was at 9.74s.
Powell has since improved his personal best to 9.72, but only after Bolt lowered the record to 9.69.
Bolt has got even faster, winning the Berlin world championships in 9.58.
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LOL!!! listen i ran track for years, there was no way Tyson Gay had a groin injury, you can hardly move with a groin injury and to run 9.71 then 9.69. He can fool the average person, but not people who know track.
See how prejudice jamaicans are!!!! Hasn’t Powell been talking about his injuries as the only reason Gay is beating Merritt will dominate…..Felix will dominate….Richards will dominate…….USA men and women’s 4×100 and 4×400 relays will dominate!! The clock is ticking!! Then what card will you play???
Ummm yes I have had a groin injury and yes it hurts like none other, but I could still run and near top speed…It all comes down to pain tolerance and…wait for it….drugs!!! No I don’t mean illegal drugs or steroids I mean pain numbing drugs..you know..the ones every other athlete in every other sport uses so they can compete.The 100 only lasts ten seconds for theses guys on a bad day, so I’m pretty sure one shot will do the trick. And you would be surprised what you can do when you run correctly and use your hip flexors and quads and hamstrings as opposed to your groin when running in a straight line…hence the reason why he hasn’t run the curve…it KILLS your groin! And no minnie I’m not an idiot but you must be if you believe everything you read “in the media”…Just because you could not or can not do something in track an field doesn’t mean no one else can either. Stop comparing these world class athletes to yourselves because YOU. ARE. NOT. LIKE. THEM! Plain and simple.
you are the idiot roylatt because you have not argued in a constuctive manner in the first place why would a woman who is a non-athlete be envious of a man’s times & 2 tyson gay has brandished this injury in press conference all season & was even limping at one point. lastly mr know it all u clearly know everything & unable 2 argue on unbiased level i have nothing more 2 say on this matter, tyson is a coward.
you are a damn idiot & you do not merit attention ok be a man and not a sissy
Does anyone remember how upset Tyson was in Berlin when beaten by Usain? Man he was mad as hell. That is a clear sign to me that he was fit, for I cannot comprehend how an unfit Tyson could beat a fit Usain, the world record holder and Olympic champ.
You Yankees can keep on fooling yourselves, Tyson will always be number 2 or 3 as long a Bolt is fit, sharp and ready. Dream on. LMAO!!!
thats right pc he was livid roylatt seems 2 have the same school of thought as tyson he is a coward & a bully look at who he chose 2 try 2 cow down, a woman he should be ashamed of himself & il say it again gay is a coward & bully it was said that he was training to beat the time bolt run at bejing last year but when bolt run a faster time he was shocked. he never had any groin injury he only faked because of the assing he got from bolt. he only has strength to beat asafa but fraid of bolt like puss.