Posted 04.08.2012 15:15:35 UTC
Updated 04.08.2012 15:15:35 UTC
Getting set for his London Olympics debut, Usain Bolt bopped to the music blaring over the loudspeakers, rocking his head back and forth.
He drew cheers merely for removing the green T-shirt that covered his uniform, then for yanking the black wool cap off his head.
Other sprinters, waiting for their own 100-meter heats, gathered around a TV in the bowels of the stadium to catch a glimpse of Bolt's first dash of the 2012 Games.
As it turned out, he got off to a slow start, then insisted that was quite fine. All that mattered Saturday: He made it to the 100 semifinals.
In his first appearance at 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, four years after he dominated in Beijing, Bolt did what he had to do to advance, overcoming a poor first burst to win his heat in 10.09 seconds.
"I stumbled on the start," the 25-year-old Jamaican said. "I really didn't do a lot of executing."
Reuters