RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19 - Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt today won an unprecedented third straight Olympic sprint double as he claimed the men�s 200m gold with a resounding victory clocking 19.78 seconds. Bolt is the only athlete to win the 100m and 200m at the Olympics thrice. He already achieved the feat at Beijing and London.
Andre De Grasse of Canada (20.02 second) and Christophe Lamaitre of France (20.12second) settled for silver and bronze medals, respectively.
American sprinter Justin Gatlin was eliminated from the semifinal stage yesterday. He clocked 20.13 in the semifinal, which was more than Churndy Martina of Netherland (20.10), the last man to qualify.
Bolt�s best timing in this event was 19.19 sec (World Record) and in Olympics his best timing was 19.30. Both were set in Beijing on August 20, 2009 and 2008 respectively. It is Bolt�s eighth Olympic gold medal in all and he will claim a ninth if the Jamaican quadrate win the 100x4 relay tomorrow.
The capacity crowd at the Olympic Stadium chanted �Bolt, Bolt� as they did during the 100m final. As he came out from the warm-up zone and checked his lane No. 6, the whole crowd started cheering. The Brazilians also supported him whole heartedly with Samba, as there was no Brazilian in the line-up. He seemed relaxed as he typically remains before any race.
Replay on television screen showed he started well and his expertise on the bend showed he had already taken a two-metre lead when all the runners entered the straight. The 6.5ft runner did not look back and maintained that advantage till the finishing line.
The light drizzle and a slight headwind could be the reason the world beater could not break his own-set World Record.
The 29-year-old has already stated that the Rio Olympics will be his swansong as Tokyo Games in 2020 is not in his agenda.
Later at the crowded media conference, he said that he does not need to prove anything else. �I have proved that I am the greatest,� he said adding that he wants to be alongside Brazilian soccer legend Pele and American boxing great Muhammad Ali. �I am trying to be one of the greatest, be among Ali and Pele,� he said. �I ran hard around the turn,� he said. �On the straight, my body didn�t respond. I�m getting old.�
