Usain Bolt repeats sprint double in leading a Jamaican 200 sweep
If there was any notion that Usain Bolt was distracted from his talk about playing soccer for Manchester United or that he grew complacent after winning the 100 meters gold medal last week or that he had somehow lost a step . . . well, the Jamaican sprinter confirmed Thursday what he has always contended.
No man on earth is faster.
The Jamaican reigns supreme, capping another marvelous Olympics by blistering the field in the 200 meters, winning the race in 19.32, as his countrymen took the other two top spots.
The debate can begin in earnest now: Is Bolt the greatest Olympic track athlete of all time?
His records make a strong case for him. Bolt became the first man to win both the 100- and 200-meter sprints in consecutive Olympic Games. That’s a feat that cannot be overlooked or underestimated.
Carl Lewis, who some put in Bolt’s category, won the 100 in the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and was awarded the gold in1988 when Ben Johnson, who won the race, was disqualified for testing positive for steroids.
Bolt, who said he was serious about playing professional soccer, had no such conditions in his achievements. Well aware of the doubters, he put index finger to his lips, as if to quiet the non-believers, after crossing the finish line. He then dropped to the track and busted out some pushups. The crowd, which lit up Olympic stadium with camera flashes throughout the race, could only marvel at his feat.
Yohan Blake — who defeated Bolt in the Jamaica Olympic trials, sparking doubt about Bolt for the London Olympics — took the silver in 19.4 and Warren Weir won bronze at 19.8. America’s Wallace Spearmon finished out the medals in fourth (19.9).
In the record-setting 200, Bolt shot around the track like a supernova, leaving no speculation about his speed and dominance – and place atop the track and field world.
