“Immortal”, Usain Bolt said after winning the men’s 100m in Rio.
Advertisement
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt stormed to victory in the men’s 100 meters on Sunday night in Rio to set the ideal start to his apparent Olympics farewell.
One if by land and two if by sea, both are athletic phenomenon we have been lucky to watch for 12 years.
“It’s a good start”, Bolt said.
Bolt has repeatedly said he wants to be the first man to dip under 19 seconds for the 200m.
“You can’t focus on the boos, today when I looked into the stands I saw the most American flags at any championship”. It was a show from the time he came onto the track, arms to his side, asking for more applause, until 20 minutes after the race, when he was still working the crowd, posing for photos, making the troubled world of track feel fun again. 2004 Olympic champion Gatlin qualified for the final with a time of 9.94 seconds.
Gatlin’s doping history – he’s served two bans – has always been a part of his rivalry with Usain Bolt.
Bolt beat American Justin Gatlin, who was greeted by the fans with raucous boos, by.08 seconds.
“I’m getting older, the athletes need time to recover”.
I’d be lying if I said I followed track and field intently.
He insisted his rivals respected him and urged the critics to get to know him, telling BBC Radio 5 live: “I have worked hard to get on the podium. To be able to say that at the age I’m at right now is a true honour”.
After his victory, the Jamaican hugged his occasional training partner Wayde van Niekerk, who had earlier broken Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old world record in the 400m.
Van Niekerk trained with Bolt in Jamaica ahead of the Games.
“Somebody said I can become immortal”, Bolt said. He’s got speed and strength. “I’m just happy that I won and that’s the key thing”. Bolt has consistently maintained that he will not step up to the one-lap event, despite Mills’ desire for him to do so.
“First time we’ve had to jog to the warmup area to get ready for the final”, Bolt said.
Before that, though, he has the small matter of the “triple triple” of Olympic sprint crowns to achieve.
Advertisement
The victory is the first rung on the ladder towards an unprecedented triple triple of sprint titles for the Jamaican, with the 200m and 4x100m relay still to come.
