Tyson Gay re-established himself as one of the world’s greatest sprinters – and a real threat to Olympic Champion Usain Bolt in 2010.
At the start of the 2010 outdoor season, Gay ran a new 400 metres personal best time of 44.89 seconds. This run, which improved upon his previous record by nearly seven tenths of a second, made him the first runner ever to run under significant time barriers in the three sprints – under ten seconds for the 100 metres, under 20 seconds for the 200 metres, and under 45 seconds for the 400 metres.
The 100 metres at the DN Galan meeting in Stockholm saw Gay emphatically beat Olympic and world champion Bolt, recording a time of 9.84 secs to Bolt's 9.97 – only the second time Bolt had lost a 100 metres final.
Gay’s victory at the London Grand Prix on a track that had been deluged by rainstorms was just as impressive. In a stunning time of 9.78 secs – the joint fastest time in the world this year – and a stadium record at Crystal Palace, Gay confirmed his position as the best sprinter in the world this year. In the absence of his injured Jamaican rivals Bolt and Asafa Powell, Gay won by two metres.
His victory in the Van Damme event in Brussels later in the year earned him the first Diamond Race trophy for the 100 metres. Gay ended the season with a world ranking of No 1 in the 100 metres.
