Gold for Bolt in fourth-best 200 dash
Source: Agencies |
September 4, 2011, Sunday
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SIX days and a slow start later, Usain Bolt finally won gold at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, running the fourth-fastest 200 meters in history to back up his showmanship with a stunning performance.
After he was disqualified for a false start in the 100 final last Sunday, Bolt was slowest out of the blocks before driving through the bend and powering to the line in 19.40 seconds, just .21 seconds of the world record he set to win his first world title two years ago.
Knowing he had something to prove, there was no braggadocio during the race. Instead, he gritted his teeth in utter effort over the last 20 meters before dipping across the line for the fastest time in two years.
"I am still the best," Bolt told an elated crowd of about 45,000 at Daegu Stadium before starting a barefoot dance to a deafening beat. "It was beautiful."
Walter Dix of the United States won his second sprint silver in 19.70 and Christophe Lemaitre earned bronze with a French record of 19.80.
Bolt was a defending champion coming through on a night of two big upsets at the worlds. In the high jump, Anna Chicherova of Russia beat two-time defending champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia, and Matthias De Zordo of Germany overcame favorite Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway to win the men's javelin.
Before Bolt took to the track, Sally Pearson ran the fastest 100 hurdles race in almost two decades to win gold. Pearson's time of 12.28 seconds was the fastest since 1992 and moved her up to fourth in the all-time list of performers.
Yet, as so often when Bolt is in the stadium, there is nothing to match the Jamaican.
Before his race, he was fist-bumping with the volunteer who carried his belongings, practiced his "Lightning Bolt" move and shushed the crowd with a finger to his lips before he sank into the blocks.
There was going to be no shock disqualification again. With a reaction time of .193 seconds, he was the slowest out of the blocks. But from there on, everything went like a whirlwind.
"I was running hard just to say to fans, 'Sorry about the 100 meters'," Bolt said.
Dix was running in Lane 4 just ahead of him and surprisingly held off Bolt for much of the bend. But from there onward, it was a foregone conclusion as Bolt put the power on, fully got his knees rolling and left the others standing.
It was Bolt's fourth gold over two world championships and he is expected to anchor his country's 4x100 relay team today in another Jamaica vs US sprint duel.
Allyson Felix now has done three better. The American ran the second leg on the winning 4x400 relay team to claim her seventh gold over four world championships.
Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross failed to get gold in the individual 400 but running the first two legs of the relay, they built such a lead that the outcome was inevitable. They won in 3:18.09.
Behind the Americans, Jamaica took silver in 3:18.71 and Russia (3:19.36) bronze.
The Kenyans flaunted their confidence again yesterday, extending their dominance of the middle and long-distance events with Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop leading Silas Kiplagat in the 1,500 for yet another Kenyan 1-2 finish.
Kiprop finished in 3:35.69, .23 ahead of his teammate. Matthew Centrowitz of the US took bronze in 3:36.08.
It was the fifth 1-2 finish for the Kenyans.
Earlier, Russia completed a sweep of the walking events, with Sergey Bakulin winning the 50-kilometer race ahead of teammate Denis Nizhegorodov. After Valeriy Borchin and Olga Kaniskina won the 20-kilometer events earlier in the week, Bakulin made sure of a second straight Russian walking sweep at the world championships.
The walks and Chicherova's victory left Russia in second place in the medal standings with seven gold and 17 medals overall, behind the US, which has 10 gold and 21 medals overall. Kenya is third with six gold and 14 medals overall.
After he was disqualified for a false start in the 100 final last Sunday, Bolt was slowest out of the blocks before driving through the bend and powering to the line in 19.40 seconds, just .21 seconds of the world record he set to win his first world title two years ago.
Knowing he had something to prove, there was no braggadocio during the race. Instead, he gritted his teeth in utter effort over the last 20 meters before dipping across the line for the fastest time in two years.
"I am still the best," Bolt told an elated crowd of about 45,000 at Daegu Stadium before starting a barefoot dance to a deafening beat. "It was beautiful."
Walter Dix of the United States won his second sprint silver in 19.70 and Christophe Lemaitre earned bronze with a French record of 19.80.
Bolt was a defending champion coming through on a night of two big upsets at the worlds. In the high jump, Anna Chicherova of Russia beat two-time defending champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia, and Matthias De Zordo of Germany overcame favorite Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway to win the men's javelin.
Before Bolt took to the track, Sally Pearson ran the fastest 100 hurdles race in almost two decades to win gold. Pearson's time of 12.28 seconds was the fastest since 1992 and moved her up to fourth in the all-time list of performers.
Yet, as so often when Bolt is in the stadium, there is nothing to match the Jamaican.
Before his race, he was fist-bumping with the volunteer who carried his belongings, practiced his "Lightning Bolt" move and shushed the crowd with a finger to his lips before he sank into the blocks.
There was going to be no shock disqualification again. With a reaction time of .193 seconds, he was the slowest out of the blocks. But from there on, everything went like a whirlwind.
"I was running hard just to say to fans, 'Sorry about the 100 meters'," Bolt said.
Dix was running in Lane 4 just ahead of him and surprisingly held off Bolt for much of the bend. But from there onward, it was a foregone conclusion as Bolt put the power on, fully got his knees rolling and left the others standing.
It was Bolt's fourth gold over two world championships and he is expected to anchor his country's 4x100 relay team today in another Jamaica vs US sprint duel.
Allyson Felix now has done three better. The American ran the second leg on the winning 4x400 relay team to claim her seventh gold over four world championships.
Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross failed to get gold in the individual 400 but running the first two legs of the relay, they built such a lead that the outcome was inevitable. They won in 3:18.09.
Behind the Americans, Jamaica took silver in 3:18.71 and Russia (3:19.36) bronze.
The Kenyans flaunted their confidence again yesterday, extending their dominance of the middle and long-distance events with Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop leading Silas Kiplagat in the 1,500 for yet another Kenyan 1-2 finish.
Kiprop finished in 3:35.69, .23 ahead of his teammate. Matthew Centrowitz of the US took bronze in 3:36.08.
It was the fifth 1-2 finish for the Kenyans.
Earlier, Russia completed a sweep of the walking events, with Sergey Bakulin winning the 50-kilometer race ahead of teammate Denis Nizhegorodov. After Valeriy Borchin and Olga Kaniskina won the 20-kilometer events earlier in the week, Bakulin made sure of a second straight Russian walking sweep at the world championships.
The walks and Chicherova's victory left Russia in second place in the medal standings with seven gold and 17 medals overall, behind the US, which has 10 gold and 21 medals overall. Kenya is third with six gold and 14 medals overall.
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