The focus will be on Bolt, who could become the first man or woman to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100 meters.
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The first match of the Olympic wrestling tournament produced one of the biggest upsets of the Rio Games: Shinobu Ota of Japan stunned seven-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Hamid Soryan of Iran 5-4 in the opening set of Greco-Roman bouts.
At 9.79 and 9.80 seconds, Bolt and Gatlin were an eyelash faster, but De Grasse’s performance captured the attention of the track world.
Bolt posted the fourth-fastest time in the first round (10.07 seconds), with Gatlin leading the way (10.01).
Bolt is aiming to sign off a majestic Olympic career by successfully defending his triple crown of 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles for a third straight Olympics. “I told you guys I was going to do it”, said Bolt, who stands alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in the modern Olympic games. He gathers titles like daisies in a field.
Gatlin’s successor in the sprints, 21-year-old Trayvon Bromell – who earned bronze at last year’s world championships – finished eighth in 10.06.
Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles goes for her third gold in Rio when she competes in the women’s vault. Bolt glanced down at it, looked back up with a half-laugh and said, “Yeah”.
U.S. Olympic swimming star Ryan Lochte said he and three other U.S. swimmers were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning in Rio de Janeiro by armed men posing as police. He ran the heat in 10.07 seconds and qualified for the semi-finals.
With his doping past, Gatlin has been portrayed as the villain by some in his rivalry with Bolt.
But all eyes will be on Bolt, who gave a frank assessment of his start to the Rio Games.
With Sunday’s silver Gatlin now has five Olympic medals, including a gold in the 100m from the 2004 Athens Games and a bronze in the event from London in 2012. American Justin Gatlin took the silver in 9.89. “I’ve lived a dream come true”, he said. The 29-year-old Bolt is the favorite, despite a sore hamstring that forced him from the world championships last month. “She does swimming and I’m track and field, so I’m not anxious about that”.
Previously, Klishina had been the only Russian track and field athlete exempted from a blanket ban on Russian-trained athletes implicated in a state-sponsored doping scandal. “I get tested like everyone else. And I’m back here”.
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The 21-year-old earned a silver with Russian Federation in the team all-around, so the vault final provides an opportunity for her to get one over on Biles.
