BEIJING — Tyson Gay may be here to participate in one of the most eagerly anticipated 100-meter confrontations in Olympic track history, but he was star-struck the other day when Kobe Bryant asked him about his injured hamstring.
Gay says he’s “fully confident” the hamstring will be fine for this weekend’s showdown with Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, but he was shocked Bryant knew about it.
“We were in the gymnasium and I asked him if I could take a picture with him, just so I could have it for memories,” the soft-spoken Gay said. “He asked me, ‘How is your leg doing? I’m going to check you out and I’m going to keep you in my heart and hope everything comes along well.’ I texted my mom right when it happened, like, ‘Kobe’s praying for my leg.’
“She was shocked as well. It was just amazing. It really meant something to me because he’s a huge superstar.”
Gay crumpled to the track in agony in the quarterfinals of the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials July 5, six days after running the fastest 100 meters ever (a wind-aided 9.68 seconds), and was wheeled off the track. An MRI disclosed a “mild” strain in his hamstring, which Gay rehabilitated in Germany.
“It took about four weeks for it to get fully recovered, but I’ve been getting rehab on it and doing some light training,” Gay said. “It feels good. I don’t feel any aches, any twinges or anything like that. I’ve been staying hydrated and taking care of my body very well, so I’m really confident it’s going to hold up.”
Bolt broke the world record May 31 when he ran 9.72 in New York, eclipsing the previous mark (9.74) set by Powell last September. Gay set the American record (9.77) at the Olympic Trials.
“I think this is one of the hottest 100-meter dashes in history,” Gay said. “Asafa Powell is looking good right now, Usain Bolt is looking great as well. They’re putting up phenomenal times. I haven’t been on the track since USAs, but I’ve had some good practices and I feel that, if everything goes well, it could be a real fast time.”
