Usain Bolt proved again he races in a world of his own, winning a huge match up against Tyson Gay in a world record time of 9.58 seconds Sunday at the world championships. Running full-out in ideal conditions and against the toughest competition possible for the first time in his 22 years, Bolt blew away his own world record by a massive .11 seconds and made Gay seem like a laggard despite setting a U.S. record of 9.71 seconds. "I got a pretty good start," Bolt said. "I was there at 20 meters and that was it." It was the biggest increase in the record since electronic time was introduced in 1968. Asafa Powell of Jamaica took bronze in 9.84. Watch the race on Youtube =============================================== Fire under the Planpraz Telecabine It's the kind of fire that not every fireman is used to fighting; at altitude, under the suspension cables of a system that transports more than 3000 people per day. Yesterday 16th August 2009, at about 11:15am, smoke, between the tenth and eleventh pylons (altitude 1900m), just below the Plan Praz mid-station, was reported to the staff of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc (CMB). Immediately, the CMB operative reversed the direction of travel, of the 3000 passenger per day telecabine system. This allowed all passengers to dis-embark at their station of departure without exposure to the flames. As soon as the system had been vacated, the service was suspended. The fire grew quickly on a fuel of thick, dry grass, supported by oxygen rich thermals that ascend the Plan Praz main couloir. The blaze, with flames 5m high, was brought under control with water delivered from a helicopter, in time to prevent the fire climbing to the Plan-Praz mid-station. The cause of the fire appears to have been a cigarette butt thrown from a cable car. A CMB spokesperson re-iterated, "the risk of a fire on or near our facilities is potentially very serious, due to the difficult access. We remind everyone of the total prohibition of smoking in cabins and in stations".
