Tyson Gay may hold the American record for the fastest 100-meter dash at 9.69 seconds, but that fact wasn’t enough to console him after failing to earn a medal by a mere one hundredth of a second during Sunday’s 100-meter Olympic dash event.

Despite having an impressive track record, Gay failed to earn any medals during the 2008 Beijing Olympics due in no small part to a severe hamstring injury Gay suffered during the 2008 Olympic Trials. It looked as if Gay was on track to take home a medal at the 2012 London Olympics, however, and some even considered Gay to be a top contender to beat Usain Bolt–but neither of those things happened.

It was close, though–very close. Gay finished the dash 100-meter dash on Sunday in 9.80 seconds, one hundredth of a second slower than fellow American sprinter Justin Gatlin, whose 9.79 second finish landed him third place–and the bronze medal.

Understandably, Gay was devastated over the heartbreakingly close finish. Speaking to Reuters after the event, the teary-eyed sprinter could only say: “I tried man. I tried my best. I just came up short.”

Gay still has a shot at redemption during the 4×100 relay later on in the week, but this may well be his last shot at an Olympic medal–there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to make it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, at which point he will be 34.

Tyson Gay Heartbroken After Disappointing 100m Dash Finish is a post from: The Inquisitr