For Usain Bolt, it was his slowest run to Olympic gold – but it was still plenty fast to earn him his third straight 100 meter crown.
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The triple world record holder was asked if he had any doubts prior to defending his title. The New York Times report says as Bolt ran down Gatlin in the final meters, he pounded his chest.
Usain Bolt took another step in his quest for an unprecedented sprint “triple triple” when he safely negotiated the first round of the 200m on Tuesday.
Unlike the frosty reception afforded him by a jeering Olympic Stadium crowd before the 100m heats and final, Gatlin was actually cheered in bright sunny conditions.
Gatlin clocked 20.42 seconds, and De Grasse was the fastest sprinter in the first round clocking 20.09 seconds.
The Jamaican was critical of the timetable after claiming his 9.81sec 100m-winning time was not quicker due to an unusually tight turnaround between the semi-final and the final.
It was the sweet culmination of a hard season for Bolt with a hamstring injury and lack of form raising questions on his ability to defend his Olympic titles. Bolt’s closest contender and a perennial second place finisher, Gatlin was jeered because the American lined up against the worshipping folk’s favourite god.
“It’s unbelievable, the energy they gave me, it’s just great”, he was quoted as saying by the official website of the Rio Games.
Yes, Bolt won the race in 9.80 seconds.
Usain Bolt is an entertainer and he surprises me every time that he goes on the track.
“Stay tuned, two more to go”, Bolt said.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow (semi-finals)”.
“When you see it on the replay, it looks worse than it felt in the race, I knew that was going to happen; he (Gatlin) always gets a good start, so I told myself to take my time and chip away at the lead”.
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De Grasse is the first male athlete to win a medal for Canada in these games in Rio, a fact that was becoming much-discussed here in Canada!
