RIO DE JANEIRO — Jahvid Best lined up in Lane 8 here at Olympic Stadium, two blocks over from the star of the show, Usain Bolt. He broke well, ahead of Bolt and near the front of the pack in the first 20 meters or so. But by the time the pack hit the midway point, the elite sprinters had pulled away from Best, who finished in 10.39 and was seventh of nine in his first-round race. He was 54th overall (or 70) and did not qualify for the semifinals.
But Best, representing the island nation of Saint Lucia — his father has dual citizenship — was undaunted by the result.