For the first time in decades, track and field features no transcendent or even dominant American athletics star, and none appear on the horizon. There is no Carl Lewis. No Flo Jo. No Michael Johnson. No Marion Jones. Yet a record crowd of 54,000 jammed a track meeting in Philadelphia on April 24 to watch a competition dubbed "USA v The World" that showcased megastar Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprint genius who routinely wins short races by extraordinary margins. And, perhaps even more notably, another 63,000 showed up for collegiate, high school and senior track and field competitions in the two days before Bolt arrived. Event attendance, nationwide membership numbers and US television ratings are up, or holding steady, even without a single household name on the US track and field team and dwindling coverage of the sport from the mainstream media. Bolt's astonishing feats and charismatic personality have caught the attention of a broad, non-running audience, a significant development as track and field fight to rebuild after a decade in which myriad doping busts devastated record books and credibility. But officials say there is more behind the encouraging numbers. They say years of web-based communication and an emphasis on social media have allowed the sport to foster a strong connection to a large audience of track geeks, some of whom eventually become new fans. And some say the recession, which has hurt participation in more expensive sports, has compelled more people to get out their running shoes. "Running," said Ray Flynn, an agent who represents 47 US track and field athletes, "has become cool again." Among the top US athletes, there has been a notable attitude shift; the prima donna behaviour once characteristic of the sport's biggest US stars has largely disappeared in what USA Track and Field officials cautiously hope will evolve into something of a post-drugs, get-to-know-our-athletes era. Now, most track athletes embrace interview requests, and when those requests are not forthcoming, they seem determined to create their own buzz. At the recent world indoor championships in Doha, Qatar, 17 athletes on the US team sent out live tweets from their Twitter accounts. "I think everyone is using social media," said Allyson Felix, the 200-metre world champion who has more than 5,000 followers on Twitter. "I think you really have to get creative. We're an Olympic sport; we have to really get out and reach people ? Social media is a great way of really pulling everyone in." Track and field also attracts arguably the most sophisticated web and blog coverage of any non-major US sport through powerhouse sites such as www.letsrun.com and www.flotrack.com. Bolt, 23, is considered the biggest reason for the sport's resurrection, and he has also used web-based outreach as public relations, helping to shape the world view of himself. Bolt has more than 37,000 followers on Twitter. And unlike the buttoned-down Tiger Woods and the super-intense Michael Phelps, Bolt plays to the crowd and engages with fans even, at times, while in the midst of races. * The Washington Post
