EUGENE, Ore. — Perhaps Tyson Gay ought to thank Usain Bolt for beating him so soundly and so surprisingly last month.

That lopsided loss — Gay was a distant second as Bolt broke the world record in the 100 meters — led to some serious tinkering. Gay and his coach, former sprinter Jon Drummond, took a look at his start, his stride, his strategy.

Seems fair to say they knew what they were doing: On Sunday, Gay ran 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.

A blur in blue, Gay clocked 9.68 seconds to win the 100 final at the U.S. Olympic trials, a time that will not be entered in the books as a world record because it came with the help of a too-strong tailwind.

Still, this is what matters to Gay and Drummond: The sprinter qualified for his first Summer Games team and served notice that his name should be mentioned alongside those of Jamaicans Bolt and Asafa Powell in any discussion about who could win the dash in Beijing.

"We need to get some type of flame-retardant uniform in case he catches on fire," said Drummond, no stranger to hyperbole. "He's running so doggone fast."

That is definitely true.

Gay timed a legal 9.77 in a quarterfinal Saturday to break Maurice Greene's American record of 9.79.

Back on May 31, on a stormy night in New York, Gay finished in 9.85, easing up as he watched Bolt better Powell's mark of 9.74.

"When someone comes to your country and then kicks your butt and then breaks the world record — puts a cherry on top — that right there can put something on your mind a little bit," Gay said before competing in Eugene. "But after a week or so, I was able to block it out."

Gay and Drummond quickly realized the setback actually was a good thing.

It forced them to really analyze Gay's running.

"We went back and said, 'OK, you ran the fastest worst race I've ever seen anybody run,"' Drummond said. "'Technically, you ran a horrible race."'