Usain Bolt used to be the fastest man on the planet until yesterday when American Tyson Gay streaked past him to win a 100-meter race.

It was Bolt’s first loss in over two years and although the Jamaican isn’t in his top shape, many still refer to him as the fastest man on the planet and expected him to win this sprint in Stockholm on Friday.

This was a match-up pairing the two fastest runners in the world and when it started, Gay had a slim lead over Bolt until the halfway point of the race. That’s when the American, Gay, pulled away and went on to set a meet record of 9.84 seconds and dethrone Bolt for the first time in his career.

Bolt time of 9.97 seconds was enough to secure second place in the event and although that would be impressive for most runners, it was actually Bolt’s second slowest time ever in a final.

Ironically, Bolt’s last loss in competition was also in Stockholm and occurred in July 2008.

After the race Bolt told the media it was “just one of those days” and went on to say “I told you I’m not unbeatable. I did not train as hard as in past years, so I can’t complain. And it was Tyson Gay. My congratulations to him. I’m not in my best shape and he is in great shape…. I simply wasn’t ready enough for that clash.”

This certainly sets a competitive tone for the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held in London.

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