WHEN the crowd at Bermuda's National Sports Centre watched a 17-year-old Jamaican saunter around the track to claim a Carifta Games gold a couple of years ago, they probably didn't realise they were watching a superstar in the making.

They might have thought that Usain Bolt was just a little more than a gifted athlete, destined for success.

But who would have predicted this lanky, unassuming sprinter would quickly become not only the fastest man in the world ¿ the title afforded every Olympic 100 metres champion ¿ but the fastest ever.

Fortunate enough to be sitting in a seat just some 30 yards away from the 'Bird's Nest' finish line on Saturday night, I, like many others, quickly realised we were witnessing sports history, a performance that would rival some of the Games' greatest moments ¿ such as gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at the Montreal Games in 1976 or Bob Beamon's stunning long jump which demolished the world record in Mexico in 1968 and has never been beaten at an Olympics since.

What made this astonishing performance or the more incredible was the fact that Bolt had virtually stopped running by the time he got to the finish line.

He had time to slow down, stretch out his arms, look to his right, realise nobody else was in sight and slap his chest.

The clock stopped at 9.69 seconds. It could have stopped long before.

That's faster than most of us can get from one side of the living room to the other.

The 100 metres had been billed as a three-man showdown. It was a walkover.

Stunning!

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OF course, the question will now be asked, what kind of drug is Bolt taking?

But as one of the world's most prominent athletes, he's been tested in training, before and after a race and has never returned a positive result.

Perhaps the only question that should be asked, is what does he drink for breakfast?

Jet fuel?

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FLORA Duffy won't be the only Bermudian involved in the women's triathlon which gets underway at 10 a.m. Beijing time today (Monday) ¿ 11 p.m. Sunday Bda time.

As an executive with the International Triathlon Union, Patty Petty has been heavily involved with the Olympic event for some time and will be out on the Beijing course, an hour's drive from the city centre.

Petty was one of just two officials who helped with the athletes' 'pontoon draw'.

"It was pretty special to have 110 world class athletes in the same room," she said afterwards.

Since then she's been taken around the the cycling course, which she described as "breathtaking", on the back of a motorbike driven by an Australian technical official.

Her assignment in both the women's and men's events will be chief lap auditor, out on the race course near the transition area.

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THOSE responsible for the Bermuda Housing Corporation scandal might be thankful they don't live in China.

The man in charge of Shanghai's housing authority received a suspended death sentence last week after being found guilty of corruption and bribery.

As it was, 64-year-old Yin Gouyuan was shown leniency by the People's Court and sentenced to seven years in prison.

A police investigation showed he had taken bribes amounting to over $5 million and abusing his position to illegally take possession of various properties.

Sound vaguely familiar?