INDIANAPOLIS, June 24 -- The drama seeped out of the highly anticipated men's 200-meter final Sunday at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with the irritating persistence of droplets from a leaky faucet. Two of the event's biggest stars withdrew, one by choice, another because of injury.
Rain drenched the track in the hours leading up to the race, making it slick, soggy and, in all probability, slow. A headwind blew down the home stretch, threatening to rein in the dwindling field of sprinters even further. Who could possibly run fast under these conditions?
Tyson Gay provided a definitive answer to that question while raising a host of intriguing possibilities. Gay, 24, crushed the 200 field two days after doing similar damage in the 100, not only propelling himself to the head of a remarkable young class of American speedsters, but also quietly maneuvering into the ranks of history's best.
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Gay dominated the race and crossed the finish line in a stunning 19.62 seconds, easily defeating training mate Wallace Spearman (19.89), rising youngster Rodney Martin (20.18) and 400 specialist Jeremy Wariner (20.35). Gay's time was the second fastest in history, behind only the 19.32 run by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Summer Games.
"I was running pretty much scared," said Gay, a one-time NCAA champion from Arkansas who lives in Lexington, Ky. "I wasn't thinking about any time. I was trying to get away from all the sprinters as fast as I could . . . I heard some heavy breathing the whole way."
It might have been just the wind whistling in his ears because Gay looked unchallenged after an excellent start. Earlier in the week, he clocked a 9.84 into a stiff wind in the 100, collecting a runaway victory. That time was the second-best ever into a headwind, behind only the 9.80 Maurice Greene posted at the 2001 world championships in Edmonton.
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Either of Gay's performances would have been impressive on its own.
But together? Gay became a favorite to win gold medals in both events at the August world championships in Osaka while solidifying his standing as second-fastest American ever in both events behind Johnson, who ran a personal-best in the 100 of 10.09 to go along with his 200 world record.
Gay's marks top those of Carl Lewis (9.86, 19.75); Florida State star Walter Dix (9.93, 19.69); Justin Gatlin (9.77, 19.86); and Greene (9.79, 19.86).
"I knew he was ready to run fast here . . . [but] this is a zone I have not seen in the sport probably since Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene in two events," said Ato Boldon, a former sprinter who now works as a television commentator. "It's all coming together for him."
And he had plenty of good excuses if it didn't.
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Gay has been training since last October without longtime coach Lance Brauman, who was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a scheme to pay athletes at Barton County (Kan.) Community College for work they did not do. Brauman, who coached Gay at Barton County and later at Arkansas, has provided Gay with workouts from prison. The two spoke by phone before Sunday's race, Gay said, and Brauman, who had been allowed to watch the 100 final, offered some pointers.
"I've been able to mature more," Gay said, "and train diligently in the absence of him."
The father of a 6-year-old girl named Trinity, Gay has long felt the tug of real-world responsibility. Unlike most of the sport's famous sprinters, Gay is shy and soft-spoken. He does not dance or prance on the track, or talk trash. Asked to put into perspective the magnitude of his dual victories, Gay, standing trackside, opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
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"I don't really know what to say," he said after a moment. "I'm just thankful I stayed healthy.
"I'm kind of a quiet guy," he added later. "I'm not a flashy guy. I'm just coming out here to run the sport, learn the history and do the best I can."
Gay has worked on his start with former U.S. sprinter Jon Drummond in Brauman's absence, and the difference has been significant. Once considered relatively slow out of the blocks, Gay got out fast in both finals here.
The 200 race "was probably as perfect as you're going to get in these conditions," Gay said, referring to the -.3 meters per second headwind. "It's a PR [personal best]. I ran as hard as I could."
Gay left no doubt about his stature as the top 200 sprinter in the United States, even though Dix decided to skip the event and Xavier Carter, who posted a 19.63 in the 200 last year, dislocated his right kneecap in the semifinals and left the track in agony.
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Carter, the 2006 NCAA champ in the 100, 400 and two relays, tumbled with about 70 meters remaining and was wheeled off on a stretcher. An MRI exam revealed no damage, however, according to Carter's agent, Mark Block. It is unclear when Carter will return to action.
"It's just one of those things," Block said. "It wasn't the conditions; it could have happened at any time . . . He's very upset right now."
While Carter's immediate future is uncertain, Gay's could not look brighter. He said he intends to chase the 100 world record of 9.77 held by Gatlin and Jamaican Asafa Powell. (Gatlin likely will lose the record because he tested positive for a steroid last year.) "Asafa has to prove he's capable of hanging with Tyson," Boldon said. "He's not the Tyson Gay of last year."
