PHILADELPHIA — Pandemonium erupted just before 2 p.m. across the metal bleachers at historic Franklin Field on Saturday, making the stately old place vibrate and rattle. Throngs of yellow-and-green clad fans leaped to their feet, wildly shook Jamaican flags, pounded their noise makers and belted out cheers.
It was, in short, a pretty animated hello.
The applause had nothing to do with the high school race just about to get underway on the track; it was generated solely by the mere entry onto the stadium infield of the world’s fastest man, Jamaican Usain Bolt, who sauntered out for some easy sprints about an hour before he anchored a Jamaican relay team to a dominant victory in the men’s 4×100-meter relay.
“When Usain walked on the track,” said U.S. Olympian Lisa Barber, who was preparing for a later U.S. victory in the women’s 4×100 relay,” I couldn’t hear the music in my headphones.”
Miki Barber, Lisa’s twin sister and relay teammate, wondered “was the President here?”
By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Read more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/24/AR2010042402456.html
