He finished third behind Gatlin in the 100m but will still have to contend against another American veteran and the seemingly unstoppable Bolt.
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Post-race, Bolt told De Grasse what he told his Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, who hadn’t qualified.
Usain Bolt’s only real competition was the clock.
“I said: ‘What are you doing, it is the semis?’ He said he had to push me”.
Bolt claims that he thinks he can beat his own world record of 19.19 in the 200 and is out to make a statement before he retires. Credit (or blame) there goes to Canada’s Andre DeGrasse, who was in the same heat Wednesday night and had no intention of letting Bolt score an easy win.
But after the race, Bolt seemed to have some regret that he couldn’t find that next level of speed. “I am younger, so we will see what happens”.
American Justin Gatlin was also a surprise non-qualifier for the 200m final, coming third in his semi-final and missing out by 0.03s on progressing to Thursday night’s race.
France’s Christophe Lemaitre won bronze, at 20.12 seconds.
“Next year if I go to the World Championships [in London] I’m not going to double”.
Following his latest triumph, which keeps him on course for an unprecedented “triple-triple” of sprint success – with the 400 still to come – the Jamaican reiterated he was unlikely to compete at 200 meters again at a major championship. “I looked over and I tried to hold on as long as I could”.
“I don’t think he’s in the same shape that he was in 2009”, Dennehy noted.
Bolt now will attempt to complete a remarkable treble of winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at three successive Games on Saturday morning. In Tuesday’s semifinals, Bolt easily shifted down a gear on the homestretch, even laughing with De Grasse as the two approached the finish line.
Andre De Grasse faces a tough task to challenge Usain Bolt in the final of the 200m as he did in the semifinals. The time came up: 19.78.
“I’m happy, you know what I mean?”
“I remember that I still have to run and execute right, so I’m focused on getting it done”.
“But now, it’s executing right, running the corner efficiently and coming in the straight and running the ideal race”, he said. The defending champion will now attempt to capture his eighth consecutive gold medal.
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And even though he ran slower in the decider, Bolt’s victory never looked in doubt thanks to a blistering start. “I can’t run properly and I had a tight turn in lane three”.
