Then he was off, and anyone could have predicted the rest.
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By again winning his third gold at the Rio Olympics, Usain Bolt proved once again that, at full power, nobody can match his speed.
“What else can I do to prove I am the greatest?” he said. “The key thing is I won which is what I came to do”.
Ben’s latest work is amusing and does a fine job at conveying just how fast Bolt is on the track, something that’s pretty hard to capture through still images.
“I am trying to be one of the greatest”.
In the immediate aftermath of his victory in the 200m final, which we can’t stress enough was his eighth Olympic gold medal, Bolt’s mother appeared either totally bored or completely incapable of processing what her son had just achieved.
Christophe Lemaitre, representing France, was awarded bronze, after finishing in the time 20.12s.
Defending champion and world record holder Ashton Eaton won the decathlon title, matching Briton Daley Thompson who won twice in 1980 and 1984. This time around, he bowed down to kiss the track, the finish line. “I wasn’t fully happy”.
“I wasn’t happy with the time, my body just wouldn’t respond in the straight”. Winning races isn’t his competition.
He has one more event on his Olympic itinerary in Rio de Janeiro to make it three gold medals at three Olympics in a row: the men’s 4×100 relay Friday night.
Still, there were those who were amazed by Bolt’s performance. He was puffing out his cheeks down the final stretch. De Grasse lived up to his potential and won the silver. Bolt said he lost his form, and he was turning his head back and forth as he crossed the finish line.
When it was over, he dropped to his knees and raised his arms toward the stands. At this point, Bolt is not racing against any other competitor but racing against himself.
Bolt said on Sunday, after winning his first gold medal of the games, that he felt he needed two more here to “become immortal”. He has said previously that he planned to retire after the world championships next year. “It’s an honour to be a part of history, of what he’s accomplished in his career. but overall, if his time is up I guess a new person has to come in there”.
During the 200-meter semis, De Grasse managed to go neck-and-neck against the long strides of the 6-foot-5 athlete, trailing only by 0.02 seconds.
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“I love competing against him”, the 21-year-old said of Bolt.
