That was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics -- the biggest improvement in the 100-meter record since electronic timing began in 1968.
Gay, his closest rival, broke the American mark with his 9.71 performance and still looked like he was jogging -- finishing a few big strides behind Bolt in second place.
Bolt’s only competition these days is the clock.
And when he’s really trying, not hot-dogging it over the line the way he did in China, even time itself doesn’t stand a chance.
"I don’t run for world records," said Bolt, who crossed the line with a slight breeze at his back.
Yet those records always seem to find him.
He thinks he can go even lower.
"I know I said 9.4," Bolt said, grinning. "You never know. I’ll just keep on working."
Last summer at Beijing, Bolt shut his race down early, waving his arms and celebrating about 10 meters before he got to the line. Some, like Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee, viewed it as a sign of bad sportsmanship. Most saw it as a welcome sigh of relief for a sport that needed some good news after years of doping and scandal.