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He had hoped to break it in Lausanne on Aug. 23, but he was so pumped with adrenaline that he false-started.
He came to Brussels early, felt the track under his feet, and had the same feeling as at the London Games.
His goal was to clock 12.85, because in hurdles, records usually get beaten by tiny margins. Even his phone password was 1285.
Time to change it to 1280.
"I was in shock when I saw the time pop up on the scoreboard," he said.
It was the biggest improvement of the record in 31 years.
Jason Richardson was second, way behind in 13.05.
Bolt, for once, was almost an afterthought. The triple Olympic champion ran a controlled race after a slow start to win the 100 and win the diamond trophy for the top competitor of the season.
"I want to take it easy now," Bolt said.
Fellow Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake followed it up with a blistering 200, blasting out fast from the gun before finishing in 19.54 seconds, unchallenged by anyone.
Merritt was equally dominating. Now his only problem is getting home on Saturday to the United States so he can start properly celebrating his Olympic triumph and world record.
After shaving a massive 0.12 seconds off his personal best, his whole body was aching.
"I need some treatment," he pleaded, "so I will be able to walk onto the plane."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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