Never mind Lightning Bolt.

After seeing the Olympic 100-meter finals last Saturday, I didn't know what nickname popped into my mind first Insane Bolt, Usain Dolt or Jamaican Me Crazy.

The Jamaican sprinter, who has been running the 100 for only about a year, blazed to a world-record 9.69 seconds, bettering his previous world record that he set in May by .03 seconds.

That's a fantastic story in itself, but why cheapen it with such theatrics?

With about 20 meters to go, about seven strides, he eased up, held his arms out to his sides, then gave himself a couple of chest smacks as he crossed the line.

Bolt claimed his only goal was to win the gold medal, which he easily did.

However, in this given set of circumstances — the top-flight competition, the Olympic Games, an international stage that's never been as big as it is this year — he decided to put it in cruise control.

I wish I had that little bit of arrogance that I could pull a result like that anytime I think I can, but there is never a given.

Whose to say if all the pieces will ever fall together the way they did on that Saturday in Beijing?

Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago was .20 seconds (9.89) behind Bolt and the Unites States' Walter Dix was third at 9.91.

To see the looks on their faces afterwards was pure joy, especially Thompson, who playfully strode down the track and jokingly fell down in a heap to take it all in.

The United States' top threat, Tyson Gay, who injured his hamstring last month at the U.S. Trials, never reached the finals, bowing in the semis, and Jamaica's other top sprinter, Asafa Powell, finished fifth.

The 100 was supposed to be a Bolt-Powell battle as the top two finalists, but Bolt showed his dominance in the semifinals, again pulling back well short of the line to save himself for the final and that the top two in each heat were guaranteed a spot in the championship race.

Bolt, however, missed a golden opportunity to obliterate the record. It was believed he could have shaved off an additional one-tenth of a second and broken the 9.60 barrier had he not eased up.

I'm still wondering why he would do that. Since athletes have been drug tested for some time, it's safe to assume Bolt is clean. So, to show complete and total domination on such a grand scale — see Michael Phelps — is what people would love to see.

When Michael Johnson broke the 200-meter record in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta with an eye-popping 19.32, the photo of him seeing the clock and his look of utter amazement at what he had just accomplished is priceless.

Bolt, meanwhile, was excited, but added a bit of showboating, posing for the cameras with his elbows back by his shoulders and pointing his hands forward.

As a runner and a fan, I would have loved to see what Bolt could have done that day. I hope he'll allow himself the chance to see how great he can be.

Maybe he will need to be pushed by someone, although right now that doesn't seem likely. He'll just have to push himself. If only he could have done that Saturday.