Gay breaks straight 200m record

MANCHESTER  – American sprinter Tyson Gay broke a 44-year-old world mark for the 200 meters on a straight track yesterday.Gay ran 19.41 seconds into a slight headwind on a specially constructed track in Manchester, shaving 0.09 off Tommie Smith’s mark set in May 1966 at San Jose, California.Smith was at the Great City Games to watch the 27-year-old Gay beat his time, which isn’t an official world record because athletic’s governing body only recognizes 200s run around a curve.“Going into the race I knew it was going to be tough to beat the record,” Gay said. “It was pretty hard for the first 100 meters or so and I was extremely tired.“Kim Collins had an excellent start and  I think that motivated me to get down the street. It was truly amazing and it was a tough recordto break.”Gay, a former 100 and 200 world champion, is working toward challenging three-time Olympic champ Usain Bolt’s supremacy. (AP)