“The 100 metres is always the hardest one for me”.
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Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt and Nickel Ashmeade through to Men’s semifinal round.
Indeed he did. But he did more than win yet another gold medal he confirmed his immortality in the sport. Bolt has hit out at the scheduling for the Rio Olympics. No one else has won the 100m gold at three successive Olympics.
That was only part of the story of this race. He will turn 30 next Sunday as the Rio Games come to an end.
After a slow start from the blocks, Bolt was trailing from behind by a few strides from US runner Justin Gatlin.
‘I personally think he’s a great athlete, ‘ Bolt said. “I didn’t expect that”.
“I wasn’t anxious; after the semis I think my confidence went way up because I knew I executed really well”.
The man most likely to beat him, Justin Gatlin, also had no problems getting through, even if he coasted through the final 20 meters to win his heat in a relatively pedestrian 20.42.
All Gatlin would have seen was Bolt charging off to celebrate with the adoring Rio crowd, with the Jamaican’s vibrant personality and easy charm connecting with fans in a way that Gatlin could only dream of. No matter. The World’s Fastest Man is moving on, another gold and – who knows? – maybe another record in his sights.
‘We all have respect for each other, ‘ the American sprinter said of his fellow competitors. They’ve got more recovery time for the 200 semifinals, which are scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Andre de Grasse was the other athlete in the group to book a spot in the final with 9.92 seconds.
That equates to five Olympic golds and seven in the world championships. This time he led to the half way mark but did nothing else wrong in the race. The New York Times report says as Bolt ran down Gatlin in the final meters, he pounded his chest. The fact that I would get a day rest would be much better.
“It’s because it’s my favourite event that I get nervous”.
Bolt is due to be back in action on Tuesday as he reignites his rivalry with American Justin Gatlin in the Olympic Stadium.
If he does the same in the 200m, the last piece to his historic performance would be the 4x100m relay.
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The 29-year-old will have a day to recover from the semifinals before he races in Thursday’s final – unlike the mere 80-something minutes he was afforded in Sunday’s 100 – and already the signs are looking ominous for those sprinters looking to stop him. I didn’t want to go out.
