Tyson sets sights on double
World 100 metres champion Tyson Gay will look for inspiration from his imprisoned coach as he sets his sights on the 200m crown and a rare sprint double.
Gay was boosted by a jailhouse pep-talk from coach Lance Bauman, currently serving time for fraud, before his emphatic 100m win. The 200m heats get under way on Tuesday.
"He calmed me and told me to block out all the other runs and focus on tonight," said Gay, who blazed past Derrick Atkins and world record-holder Asafa Powell in 9.85 seconds.
"He told me when he woke up in the morning he knew I'd be world champion. He told me just to believe it, and I did."
The 25-year-old Gay, who sealed his superstar status with his first major title, dedicated the win to Brauman ahead of his release this week.
"I'm still looking forward to working with my coach and I would like to dedicate this race to him. He went through a lot," Gay said.
Gay's time was the second best this season after his 9.84 in June. He gradually reeled in Powell, who led most of the way, before bursting to the front in the last 20 metres.
The Kentucky-born sprinter, a nearly-man until this year after failing to reach the Athens Olympics and finishing fourth in Helsinki, draped himself in the American flag and hugged his mother, Daisy, in delight.
"I talked to my mother before the race and she really calmed me down. She said everything that happened in the past was for a reason, to mature me for this situation," said Gay.
The victory keeps Gay on course to emulate fellow Americans Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin by claiming the 100-200 metres sprint double.
Despite timing 19.62 in June -- second only to Michael Johnson's 1996 world record -- Gay played down his chances in the draining Osaka heat.
"I'm going to get some rest, get a massage and really try to get through the first couple of rounds," he said.
"It's going to be tough. Some of the other guys are going to be pretty much fresh. I'm just going to try to stay relaxed, do some of the early rounds and get through to the finals."
Gay added that his 100m medal was an important riposte to the controversy surrounding Gatlin, who failed a dope test last year.
"I'm really thankful to the media for not asking me any drug questions. It allowed me to focus -- I didn't have to prove anything about any drug allegations or anything," he said.
"I really felt I had to bring a medal home to get over that cloud and I'm really hoping to block that out. I'm hoping the whole situation disappears."
Gay's run was well outside Powell's two-year-old world record of 9.77, despite predictions it would fall on the "super-fast" Osaka track.
"We'll continue to have great rivalries," said Gay. "I'll win some, Asafa Powell will win some."
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