With wind on his side, Tyson Gay runs world's fastest 100 meters

Sprinter Tyson Gay ran the world's fastest 100 meters on Sunday, but it wasn't enough to earn him a new world record.

Gay won the race in 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying for the Olympics, but the wind speed was too high for the time to qualify as a new record, according to the Associated Press.

The wind was blowing at 4.1 meters per second, well above the 2.0 meters per second allowed for a record to hold. Gay was followed by Walter Dix (9.80) and Davis Patton (9.84), both of whom also qualified for the Beijing Olympics in August.

The 2004 Olympic 100 meter gold medal winner Justin Gatlin was not eligible to participate. Gatlin is currently serving a 4 year doping ban. Gatlin tried unsuccessfully last month to convince the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reduce his ban to two years so he could compete in the Olympic trials. His absence makes Gay the American favorite for the Olympic race. 

Jamaica's Usain Bolt, 21, set the current world record in the men's 100 meter dash last month at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City.

Bolt's time of 9.72 seconds (without the aid of the wind) made him "the world's fastest man." He also defeated Gay in the race. Gay finished second in 9.85 seconds and Darvis Patton placed third at 10.07 seconds last month.

But this time was different. The Olympic Trials only features American athletes so Bolt was not in the race on Sunday.