Arms pumping, hands clenching, face tightening, Bolt looked like the determined man who has said for years that the last time goal of his career is to re-break his 200m world record of 19.19 seconds and threaten the sub-19 barrier.
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The 23-year-old’s fifth throw was the longest of his life – 22.52 metres – shattering the record set by the former East Germany’s Ulf Timmermann at Seoul in 1988.
What matters is that Bolt has done it – something that may very well never be done again.
“I’ve proven to the world that I’m the greatest and that is what I came here for and that’s what I’m doing”.
“I am trying to be one of the greatest”.
“I’m just waiting to see what the media have to say and if they put me in that bracket”, he said when asked how he stacked up against football star Pele and boxing legend Ali.
“I wasn’t happy with the time, my body just wouldn’t respond in the straight”. It is the one he raced as a junior and the bond remains strong. “It’s a big deal, its shocking, but I have worked hard and pushed myself to be the best”, said Bolt.
Canadian Andre de Grasse, who also won bronze behind Bolt in the 100m, finished second in 20.02 to claim his second sprint medal of the Games and establish himself as the heir apparent to the Sprint King.
Bolt got out well, making up the stagger on Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre to his outside in about six seconds.
With 34-year-old Justin Gatlin, Bolt’s perennial rival, failing to reach the final it looked as if his main competition would come from Merritt.
In the end, however, there was no competition.
Oregon’s Ashton Eaton won the decathlon, the two-day test of versatility, to join Bob Mathias (1948 and 1952) of the USA and Great Britain’s Daley Thompson (1980 and 1984) as the only two-time decathlon winners in Olympic history.
For all his efforts, Eaton still had a few seconds over him for the conclusive 1500m, and was the swifter runner. His wife, Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton, took bronze in the heptathlon on Tuesday. Usain Bolt has been without peer as a sprinter over the past several Olympiads. “Hopefully you can read about me as one of the greatest people in sport, that’s my focus”.
“I couldn’t really tell what happened”.
Another American, Ryan Crouser, produced a stunning performance to beat compatriot Joe Kovacs to the men’s shot put title, while 21-year-old Sara Kolak of Croatia won the women’s javelin. He’s won so many medals, he’s dominated the sport.
Silver went to the early leader, Sunette Viljoen of South Africa, with 64.80m.
The women’s 400m hurdles was won in decisive fashion by Dalilah Muhammad of the USA, who finished five metres clear in 53.13 as Sara Slott Petersen took the silver medal in a Danish record of 53.55.
Muhammad’s American colleague Ashley Spencer came through with a late run to take the bronze medal ahead of the Czech Republic’s double world champion Zuzana Hejnova, clocking a personal best of 53.72.
Earlier in the evening Caster Semenya was the fastest qualifier for Saturday’s 800m final in 1min 58.15sec.
His place in that pantheon is probably already assured but Bolt will return to the track for the 4x100m relay on Friday – two days before his 30th birthday – looking to complete the sweep of all three sprint titles at three successive Olympics.
Usain Bolt is the Michael Phelps of the land, which means he can run as fast as a fish.
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With opposition on the track, they should improve on that today.
