Heroes arrive in all shapes and sizes. Jamaican Usain Bolt is 6ft 5in and when he settles into his blocks, his shadow looms large into the lane of the sprinter next to him. At 3pm yesterday at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace, the unfortunate runner next door was Wallace Spearmon.

Alongside the American in lane four was the athlete who could become the phenomenon of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Bolt, the world’s fastest man at 100m, is now the quickest ever over 200m in Britain after a near-immaculate performance.

His victory in 19.76sec broke the 19.84 that American Tyson Gay produced at this same meeting two years ago to establish an emphatic all-comers’ record. Next stop Beijing, but with a path still not as clear as a man of this talent might like.

The 21-year-old would like to run both the 100m and 200m at the Olympics next month. You cannot blame him. He has struck a vein of prolific speed that he may never replicate. But he says it will not be his choice.

Sprinters normally are brash and blasé and often shout the odds. The quietly spoken Bolt will listen to Glen Mills, the coach who has guided him to a level where his races are won within the opening 20m, such has become his aura.

“I definitely want to double in Beijing, but my coach hasn’t made any bad decision for me all year,” said Bolt. “If he says I’m only doing one [event], I’ll only do one. I wouldn’t overrule him. It might be left to the final possible moment. I am just waiting on him to decide. I don’t know when that will be.”

The sport is hoping Mills opts for both. The 100m will be something spectacular and the likelihood of the world record going again would be the hottest bet of the Games.

A year ago at the world championships in Osaka, Bolt was second to Gay in the 200m, but the American has failed to make the longer sprint. He won the 100m, too, in Japan. A combination of these two and Asafa Powell would make it one of the greatest Olympic finals.

Powell started the summer as the world’s quickest man with 9.74sec; now he is not even the fastest in Jamaica. Bolt’s 9.72 in New York in May was established with the type of graceful sprinting that he demonstrated yesterday.

His height defies sprinting logic. As he emerges from the blocks, there is nothing awkward about his gait – if anything, it is elegant – and within 20m, he is in his stride. By that stage he had this race won, easing off the bend without a hint of difficulty and transforming his body to the final 100m, where his speed made him an easy winner. Spearmon was second in 20.27, with Ireland’s Paul Hession third in 20.37 and it is unlikely anyone will be any close to Bolt in Beijing.

“I felt good today,” said the man known as Lightning. “I needed to execute the race and I did just that. I am looking for consistency and to do what my coach says. I am managing to do that now. I came here just to work on my 200m and I did that today. I have been ready for [Beijing] for two months now. Maybe people will try to put pressure on me, but I do not pressure myself. When I go there, I go there to do my best of all time. Asafa and I are friends. When I broke the 100m world record, he telephoned me to congratulate me.”

Even with the presence of Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, Bolt should be the golden boy of the track in Beijing.

Allyson Felix can no longer lay claim to become the women’s star of the Games. A few weeks back, Felix was in line for four gold medals. But the double world 200m champion did not make the USA team for the 100m and will enter Beijing after failing even to run here yesterday.

O n Friday night she was a disappointing fourth in the 200m and pulled out of the 100m w i t h a minor injury.

On the final night of the track and field competition at the Olympics in Athens four years ago, Mark Lewis-Francis charged down the home straight to lead Britain’s men to sprint relay gold.

It is a title that will take some defending. Lewis-Francis is injured; Jason Gardener and Darren Campbell, two more of those champions, have since retired.

Marlon Devonish remains on the third leg, but the new-look team had to battle to finish third yesterday behind the USA and Trinidad & Tobago.

There could be no faulting the baton changing between Christian Malcolm, Tyrone Edgar, Devonish and Craig Pickering but by the time of the event in Beijing, they will face some task against the Jamaicans at least, who will have both Bolt and Powell.

The USA’s red team - their blue side were fourth - won in 37.80sec from Trinidad & Tobago in 38, with the defending Olympic champions third in 38.34.

Britain has long forgotten what it is like for men to celebrate success in the 400m, but Martyn Rooney is ready to change that perspective. He will go to the Olympics with the experience of winning a medal in Beijing, having finished third at the world junior championships in the Chinese capital two years ago, and now with a superb personal best time.

Rooney has been tipped as one of best British youngsters on the road to London 2012. It is all about landmarks, and they come no better than victory and dipping under 45 seconds for the first time, on your home track.

That is what Rooney achieved here yesterday when he won in 44.83sec, beating Tyler Christopher, of Canada, this year’s world indoor champion, who was second in 45.29, with Ireland’s David Gillick third in 45.35.

“Sub45 is a massive bench-mark to get across,”said Rooney, who started the race with a best of 45.19. “I live two miles away and I am so happy to achieve that here in front of this crowd.”

His performance was the 10th-quickest ever by a Briton.

Quickest runs in Britain

100m June 11, 2006, Asafa Powell (Jam), 9.77sec, Gateshead A stunning performance to equal the world record

200m July 26, 2008, Usain Bolt (Jam), 19.76sec, Crystal Palace An unstoppable run from a potential star of Beijing

400m July 10, 1992, Michael Johnson (USA), 43.98sec, Crystal Palace A personal best at the time for one of the world’s greatest sprinters