BEIJING • If Tyson Gay sprints away from Jamaican runners Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell with the same speed and cunning he used to sprint away from reporters, he’ll most likely have the men’s 100-meter dash gold medal wrapped up and ready to head back the to the States.

Gay finished his second-round heat in 10.09 seconds. He jogged into the mixed zone – the area where athletes stop to talk with members of the media after their events – and jumped the barricade to avoided talking with reporters.

However, that leap answered the biggest question about Gay entering the XXIX Olympiad: How is the hamstring?

Gay, the world champion in the 100 and 200 fell to the track six weeks ago at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., and had to be taken off on a stretcher. Gay hasn’t raced since.

“It’s fine,” Gay said, quickly walking out of the media area.

Later Gay said that his race felt good and relaxed, “I just wanted to make it through.”

So did those in love with watching the human body power down a track at animalistic speeds. And Gay’s leap, told everybody watching that he is unconcerned with the hamstring injury.

At this point, the 100-meter dash is a three-person race. With Gay, Bolt and Powell in the finals, if the three make it, it will feature men who combine to have run the eight fastest 100-meter times in history.

Bolt owns the world record, a 9.72-second effort he laid down in New York in May a race where he soundly defeated Gay. However, Gay owns the fastest 100-meter time, a wind-aided 9.68.

Powell is the only person in history to have five 100-meter sprints less than 9.8 seconds. Powell, also a former world record holder, has beaten Bolt three times in the past year. But Powell has never won the 100 meters in a major championship. And Jamaica has never won the men’s 100 at the Olympics.All smiles

Naturalized American Lopez Lomong, who was chosen as the flag bearer for the American team and trained in Colorado Springs, finished fifth in his heat to make it to the men’s semifinals of the 1,500-meter run.

Lomong ran a 3:36.70, .38 of a second slower than South Africa’s Juan van Deventer, the heat leader.

“It felt great,” Lomong said. “It felt great. I went out there step by step, round by round to secure that spot. I went out there and stayed with them. I can run with these guys.”

Lomong may have to best his personal best of 3:36.36 in order to make the final

Even if Lomong doesn’t make it past the semifinals, he said his experience has been phenomenal.

“Wow, I said the Olympic trials was huge,” Lomong said, beginning to laugh. “I was lying. This is really huge.”-Columnist Milo Bryant can be reached at 636-0252 or milo.bryant@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out Milo’s blog, The Extra Milo, at milobryant.blogspot.com

Photo by