Tyson Gay was a blur in blue, sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.

His time of 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials yesterday doesn’t count as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind. Here’s what does matter: Gay qualified for his first Summer Games team and served notice he’s certainly someone to watch in Beijing.

“It means a lot to me,” the 25-year-old Gay said. “I’m glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me.”

Wearing a royal blue uniform with red and white diagonal stripes across the front, along with matching shoes, all in a tribute to 1936 Olympic star Jesse Owens, Gay dominated the competition. He started well and pulled out to a comfortable lead by the 40-meter mark.

This time, he kept pumping those legs all the way through the finish line, extending his lead. In Saturday’s opening heat, Gay pulled way up, way too soon, and nearly was caught by the field, before accelerating again and lunging in for fourth place.

No such close call this time.

No one ever has covered 100 meters more quickly. The previous fastest time under any conditions was 9.69, run in 1996 by Obadele Thompson, who now is married to Marion Jones.

Gay’s race came with the wind blowing at 4.1 meters per second; anything above 2.0 is not allowed for record purposes.

“I didn’t really care what the wind was,” Gay said.

Walter Dix, the 2007 NCAA champion from Florida State, overtook Darvis Patton in the final 20 meters for second place. Dix clocked 9.80 and Patton 9.84, as each of the first six finalists turned in times under 10 seconds.

“When I looked up and saw the numbers,” Dix said, “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s fast.'”

After the race, Gay and Dix looked at each other and slapped palms, then hugged.

Recounted Dix: “He said, ‘We did it. We both did it. We made it to Beijing. We’re going to Beijing.'”

The official world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt on May 31 in New York — with Gay a distant second. That race sent Gay and his coach, Jon Drummond, to work, tinkering with the runner’s start and style.

Drummond noticed Gay was bringing his feet too high behind his back with each stride, and they worked to correct that. Clearly, it’s paying off.

After misjudging the finish in his opening heat Saturday, Gay ran 9.77 in a quarterfinal a few hours later, breaking the American record that had stood since 1999.

He’s hoping to win both the 100 and 200 at this meet — and at the Beijing Olympics. He pulled off that double at the 2007 world championships, and qualifying at these trials in the 200 begins Friday.

“I’m sore right now,” Gay said, “but probably from the victory lap.”

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Holding off one of his best friends, Michael Phelps started his second attempt to break Mark Spitz’s Olympic record with another epic swim.

Less than an hour later, the teenager he compares to a little sister joined Phelps in the record book.

Phelps set a world record in his first event of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, touching just ahead of Ryan Lochte to win the 400-meter individual medley in 4 minutes, 5.25 seconds last night.

What a start to the eight-day meet!

Wearing the high-tech Speedo LZR Racer, Phelps beat his own mark of 4:06.22, set at last year’s world championships in Australia when he turned in one of the greatest performances in swimming history with seven gold medals.

After saying he had no fear of Phelps, Lochte proved it by also going under the previous record. But his time of 4:06.08 was only good enough for second with Phelps in the next lane over.

“That was probably one of the most painful races of my life,” the winner said. “Everything was left in the pool. I definitely would not have been able to do it without Lochte beside me. He’s a great friend and a great competitor. I love racing him.”