Usain Bolt returned to the event after winning gold in Beijing and London, and there was a feeling as the group of world-class sprinters lined up that it had to be him.
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Jamaica’s Usain Bolt wins the 100-meter final at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow on August 11, 2013 while a lightning bolt strikes in the sky. “I’m very happy for him”. “I’m here to perform”. By the end of the brief, 10-second run, Bolt was one gold medal closer to his dream of becoming immortal.
The victory left Bolt standing alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in the modern Olympic games.
He is the Olympic champion once again.
That was only part of the story of this race.
The American served a four-year ban that was twice reduced, first from a lifetime then to eight years.
“My coach always says, ‘Usain, you can always go to the 2020 Olympics if you want, ‘” Bolt said. “I didn’t expect that”.
Jamaican legend Bolt swept aside the rest of the field, including United States athlete Justin Gatlin, with a time of 9.81 seconds to secure the top prize on Monday.
“All the issues were over a decade ago”, Gatlin said at a news conference Sunday night, per the Washington Post.
He added: “I would love to have him in politics but I don’t know what he will do. However I just focused on my job and got it done”.
As for now, it’s a case of putting behind the 100m and setting his sights on facing Bolt in the 200m, with the first round to start Tuesday. University of Tennessee product Justin Gatlin has had better times than Bolt in the past couple years and has openly pursued this showdown and his own history – becoming the oldest 100 victor at age 34, 12 years after claiming gold in the event in Athens. This time he led to the half way mark but did nothing else wrong in the race.
No, this wasn’t Bolt at his fastest – or even his best.
In making his Olympic debut and to reach the final, De Grasse said it was a learning experience in running against some seasoned competitors such as Bolt, who is 29 years of age, and Gatlin, who is 34. “After the semis I felt extremely good”.
Bolt remains on target to leave Rio with a third successive Olympic treble, and a ninth gold, having won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles in 2008 and 2012, reports the BBC. If you’re Usain Bolt, earning two more gold medals in one of the Olympics’ most intense sports is a realistic goal. “I’ve never seen it happen before, but I guess some people are more vocal than others”.
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For many he is already that.
