Despite Gatlin coming out of the blocks quicker, and dominating the first half of the race, Bolt set his usual second-wind cogs in motion and steamed into the lead.
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The Jamaican superstar trailed arch-rival Justin Gatlin until the 70 metre mark but then swept past the American, finding time to pat his chest as he crossed the line a metre clear.
“I came to this Olympics to win three gold medals”.
This was a tease, though, with Gatlin leading for about the first 75 meters before Bolt exploded to overtake him. “I wanted to go faster, but the turnaround time of one hour and 20 minutes was challenging”, added Bolt, who finished ahead of American Justin Gatlin, 9.89, and Canadian Andre de Grasse, 9.91.
The Puma-sponsored Jamaican sprinter became the first person to win three straight gold medals in the 100-meter event. I’ve been shooting him for three Olympics and two World Championships and every time he simply loves entertaining the crowd. “Two more to go”.
The Men’s 200m Heats will start at 2.50am tomorrow.
Bolt’s final Olympic race, assuming two-time defending champion Jamaica qualifies for the 4×100-meter final, will be held Friday at 9:35 p.m.
Minister Grange highlighted that sprinter Christania Williams ran her personal best (10.96) on her way to the women’s 100m final and “I am quite pleased with her performance because she gave her all and we can’t ask for more than that”. With seven Olympic medals between them, the pair have dominated the 100m in recent years, despite Gatlin serving two doping offences. “I think we have tremendous crowds here; they are lively and they are loud, and this is what you would have expected from Cariocas”. “So I’d just like to see everyone have respect in the audience as well”. “What people love about him, and what photographers love about him as well, is he’s such an entertainer”, Spencer says. “When he comes away from the track, he’s a great guy, he’s a cool guy”.
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Gatlin returned to the track in 2010, claiming Olympic bronze at London 2012 and losing to Bolt in the 2015 World Championships. “I’m very happy for him”.
