Canada’s Andre de Grasse took silver in 20.02s, while France’s Christophe Lemaitre edged out Great Britain’s Adam Gemili for bronze in agonising fashion, with both men given the same time of 20.12.
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Bolt was far ahead of the field in winning his second gold medal of the Rio Games on Thursday but he had promised to try to break his world record, and didn’t want to let down spectators who filled Olympic Stadium just to see him. It was likely the last individual Olympic race for the eight-time gold medalist.
It’s rumoured that it could be the 29-year-old’s final appearance in a major competition – if so, where on earth is athletics going to find another Usain Bolt? “So I guess it’s just age and all the rounds that’s taken a toll”. Another gold medal wasn’t such a bad consolation prize.
“I ran hard, but when I came into the straight my body would not respond to me”.
“I focus on what I need to do because if I don’t there will not be a Usain Bolt”.
All good stuff, but Bolt’s expression as he crossed the finish line told the real story.
Only 11 men have multiple medals in the event and no one else has more than one gold.
Also in track, Ryan Crouser led an American one-two in the shot put, also setting an Olympic record of 22.52 meters to beat the world champion, Joe Kovacs.
At least the after-party was great. “I came off the bend and tried to do something, tried to go, but maybe I used up too much energy in the semi-final”.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the most popular sprinter of the world added another hat trick achievement to his running career.
Within a dozen strides he had the race won but his desperation for the record drove him on down the home straight. He set it in 2009 at world championships in Berlin, breaking the mark he’d set the year before (19.30) when he burst into the Olympics in Beijing. It’s the sprint he worked on from the very beginning.
So, the 100 was his hobby, the 200 was his day job, and when he started talking about goals for these Games, he said immortality was the main one. Be among (Muhammad) Ali and Pele.
After he had completed his lap of honour, doing the Lightning Bolt, dancing to Bob Marley, Bolt wandered infield again to the spot where lane 6 and the finish line intersected, knelt down on a track glistening with light rain and kissed the spot.
“I think there’s a way to make this event wildly entertaining for spectators”, Eaton said, pondering his future. “Our coach said before we went out there, ‘It’s just like practice, just the whole world will be watching”.
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Before most of the crowd had arrived, the USA women’s 4x100m relay team, disqualified in the morning’s heat but reinstated on appeal, took the opportunity to record a qualifying time for tomorrow’s final in a re-run involving just themselves.
