Usain Bolt roared into Olympic history today, capturing an unprecedented third consecutive 100m crown to confirm his place in the pantheon of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. By the end of the week, he believes he could be “immortal”.
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Bolt dared to glance left and, upon realising he was ahead, slapped his chest on the finish line as he became the first athlete to win three 100m Olympic titles. That, he believes, will create a legacy that no one will forget.
American Justin Gatlin, Bolt’s closest pursuer over the past four years, finished second, .08 seconds behind. “Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal”.
Bolt had brutally ended Gatlin’s attempt to usurp him as the king of sprinting at last year’s world championships and the American paid tribute to his great rival after his latest defeat. He also claimed that he “expected to go faster but there was such a short turnaround after the semi-finals”.
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt stepped into the realms of immortality when he won his third-consecutive 100m title in a season’s best 9.81 seconds inside the Olympic Stadium here last night.
United States’ Justin Gatlin makes a face as he is booed when entering the stadium for the men’s 100-meter final during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016. “However I just focused on my job and got it done”. From the moments before he crouched into the blocks, putting his finger to his lips and asking for silence, until long after the race, when he worked the crowd and posed for photos, Bolt made the troubled world of track feel fun again. “To be able to have the respect of my rivals who I line up with, that’s all I really care about”. I work very hard and I have the respect of my competitors. His previous Olympic final times were 9.69 in Beijing, then a world record, followed by an Olympic record 9.63 in London. Marvin Bracy was was just sixth in his semifinal in 10.08 and failed to advance, while Travyon Bromell, after coming up big at Worlds past year (bronze) and World Indoors in March (60-meter gold) faltered in the biggest race of his life to date and finished last in the final in 10.06 seconds, after being the final qualifier for the final.
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The rehab started immediately, with trips to Germany to see his doctor, then a warm-up 200 in London to prove to his Olympic committee that he was fit for the Olympics.
