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Usain Bolt on timing of 100-meter final: ‘It was really stupid’

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 100 meter final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Bolt had previously won the Olympic 100m titles in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

The Jamaican trailed arch-rival Justin Gatlin, roundly booed by the Rio crowd for his doping past, until the 70-metre mark but then swept past the tightening American, finding time to pat his chest as he crossed the line a metre clear.

‘I’m really happy but I expected to go faster, ‘ Bolt told the BBC. “I wasn’t pleased, I wasn’t happy they changed the schedule to an hour and 20 minutes”, said Bolt, who said there was usually two hours or more between races.

The controversial American claimed silver in 9.89secs, while 21-year-old Canadian Andre de Grasse secured bronze in 9.91secs but both were left trailing by a trademark second 50m from the brilliant Jamaican showman. “Immortal”, Bolt added talking about 200m and 4x100m relay. “This is the Olympics that I have to do it at”.

Bolt ran in semi-final No. 2 at 10.07am on Monday morning (AEST) while Gatlin had even less time to recover for the 11.25am final after he ran in semi-final No. 3 at 10.14am.

No other athlete – man or woman – has ever won three consecutive individual Olympic sprint titles.

His electrifying kick capped an exciting Day 9 of the Rio Games that included Justin Rose winning the first Olympic golfing gold medal in 112 years with a two-stroke win over British Open champion Henrik Stenson.

Van Niekerk finished 0.15 seconds faster than Johnson ran in 1999, setting a mark considered one of the nearly untouchable records in track. I have never seen anything from 200 to 400 like that.

“It was such a short turnaround for me, from my semifinals”, Gatlin said.

“I thought someone was going to catch me”, van Niekerk explained. It tried to ban her from the Olympics last week, however, after receiving what it said was new information from World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren. “I’m also the greatest athlete to live”.

Bolt, who will be 30 on Sunday, said Gatlin would “feel my full wrath”, when they finally came head-to-head on the Olympic track.

Bolt has said that Rio will be his last Olympics and next summer’s London world championships will be his farewell meet. It was No. 7 over three Olympics for Bolt, and the odds are he will have two more before these Olympics come to a close.

‘After the semis (when he ran 9.86 despite slowing up well before the line) I felt extremely good.

By the time Bolt had disappeared to begin his endless round of TV interviews, his name was still rolling around the bleachers loud enough that all those in the favelas that push right up to the Olympic Stadium’s doorstep will have been left in no doubt about the destiny of the Games’ greatest race.

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The final was billed as “Bolt versus Gatlin” before the preliminary races had even seen the starter’s gun.

Usain Bolt wins 100m gold to complete first part of ‘triple-triple’ attempt at Rio 2016