Usain Bolt heard all of the discuss. In regards to the pair of unusual losses at Jamaica’s Olympic trials. About how he is not as quick as he was. So after leaving the remainder of the sphere within the Olympic 200-meter remaining far sufficient behind that he might afford to ease up over the previous couple of strides, Bolt raised his left index finger to his lips and advised everybody to shush. Bolt held that pose as he crossed the end line in 19.32 seconds Thursday evening to grow to be the one man in historical past to win gold medals within the 100 and 200 at consecutive Summer time Video games. “That was for all that people that doubted me, all the people that was talking all kinds of stuff that I wasn’t going to do it, I was going to be beaten,” Bolt stated. “I was just telling them: You can stop talking now, because I am a legend.” Sure, when the stakes are the most important, the highlight most vivid, Bolt is nearly as good as gold. Good as there’s ever been. Simply ask him. “I’ve done something that no one has done before, which is defend my double title. Back-to-back for me,” Bolt stated. “I would say I’m the greatest.” Robust to argue. He added Thursday’s 200 title to the 100 title he gained Sunday in 9.63 seconds — the second-fastest time in that race, behind solely his personal document of 9.58 — duplicating the 100-200 victories he produced on the Beijing Video games 4 years in the past. Name it a Double Double. “The 200 spoke for itself. He’s incredible. … Doing some special things,” U.S. males’s monitor and discipline coach Andrew Valmon stated. In Thursday’s 200, Bolt led a Jamaican sweep, together with his coaching companion and pal Yohan Blake — who upset Bolt within the two dash finals at Kingston — getting the silver in 19.44, and Warren Weir taking the bronze in 19.84. That was greater than a half-second slower than the champion, a person Weir referred to as “my bigger brother.” “Definitely, he’s a legend. He motivated me a lot,” Blake stated. “It’s his time. It’s going to be my time soon.” In all, Bolt has gained seven of the final eight main particular person dash titles within the 100 and 200 at Olympics and world championships, a four-year streak of unprecedented dominance. The one exception was a race he by no means obtained to run: Bolt was disqualified for a false begin within the 100 remaining eventually yr’s world championships, and Blake obtained the gold. “The guy is just on another planet right now,” Wallace Spearmon, the American who completed fourth in 19.90, stated between sobs of disappointment. Afterward, Bolt had loads of vitality left, dropping to the monitor to do 5 pushups — one for every of his Olympic gold medals up to now. Ever the showman, he bent down and kissed the monitor, then did it once more a couple of minutes later, and in addition grabbed a digicam from somebody within the photographers’ effectively and educated it on the group clicking away. Bolt’s said objective heading to London was to grow to be a “living legend,” and, effectively, he is making a reasonably good case for himself, even when Worldwide Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge stated a couple of hours earlier than the 200 remaining that it is too early to make such determinations. “The career of Usain Bolt has to be judged when the career stops,” stated Rogge, who criticized the Jamaican 4 years in the past for showboating by slapping himself on the chest on the end of the 100. “Let him participate in three, four games, and he can be a legend,” Rogge added. “Already he’s an icon.” Bolt, who turns 26 this month, sounded as if he won’t final till the Rio Olympics in 2016. “It’s going to be a hard mission,” he stated, noting with a chuckle that Blake and Weir are solely 22. “I’m going to be 30; they’re going to be 26. Both of these guys are running extremely well right now, and I think I’ve had my time. It’s going to be hard. I can say: In life, anything’s possible. But for me, that’s going to be a hard reach, because there’s going to be a lot more talent coming up. And these guys really stepped up already. For me, I’m just not looking that far.” In Beijing, he turned the primary man to win the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay in world-record occasions at a single Summer time Video games. In London, he turned the primary man to win two Olympic golds within the 200, and he did it consecutively, too. He is additionally solely the second man — becoming a member of Carl Lewis of the U.S. — with back-to-back 100 golds, and Lewis gained his second when rival Ben Johnson was disqualified after failing a drug take a look at. On the medalists’ information convention, Bolt was requested whether or not Jamaican sprinters are drug-free. “Without a doubt,” Bolt stated, repeating that phrase twice extra for emphasis. “We train hard. Especially my teammates. … We work hard. We throw up every day. We get injuries. We have to take ice baths. … When people doubt us, it’s really hard, but we’re trying our best to show the world we’re running clean.” There have been some setbacks for him alongside the way in which, primarily as a result of minor leg and again accidents that he stated had been guilty for losses to Blake within the 100 and 200 on the Jamaican Olympic trials. Certainly, Bolt stated Thursday he is not 100 % wholesome now. Most significantly, these defeats sparked some handwringing again residence in Jamaica and elsewhere about how Bolt would do in London. Seems, these defeats additionally drove Bolt. “Trials was one of the turning moments for me. When I lost, it really opened my eyes. I sat down and really looked. I went to my coach. I said, ‘Coach, do I need to be worried?’ And he said ‘No.’ He said, ‘Train hard, and you should be OK.” That is one of many issues about Bolt. He acknowledges that his work ethic is not the best. He loves the nightlife. He likes to drive quick automobiles (he is been on the wheel for some minor accidents in Jamaica) and eat quick meals (he copped to grabbing meals of rooster nuggets in Beijing, and wrap sandwiches in London, all from a well-known chain restaurant). Unusually tall for a sprinter, the 6-foot-5 Bolt towered over the 5-11 Blake and 5-10 Weir as they posed along with Jamaican flags after their 1-2-Three end. Bolt makes use of his lengthy, lengthy, lengthy strides to propel himself previous opponents. The sixth-fastest of eight entrants out of the blocks within the 200, he had made up the stagger on at the very least two different finalists earlier than the flip. Into the stretch, Bolt was at warp pace, gritting his tooth and pulling away. The one man who had even a distant likelihood of difficult him was Blake, however Bolt’s additional gear carried him residence. By the top, it did not matter that Bolt let up for his remaining three steps, looking to his left to test on Blake, who additionally was the silver medalist within the 100. Bolt’s time was precisely the identical as three-time particular person Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson’s when the American set the then-record on the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: 19.32. Again then, the pondering was that may stand because the mark for many years. As it’s, that quantity lasted a dozen years. Then alongside got here Bolt. His 19.30 within the 200 remaining at Beijing nonetheless stands because the Olympic document — and definitely would have been eclipsed Thursday with a full-fledged dash by the end — however Bolt bettered that with a 19.19 on the 2009 world championships, the place he additionally set the present 100 document. Now he’ll attempt to make it 6 for six over the past two Olympics within the 4×100-meter relay, the place Jamaica cannot depend on the injured Asafa Powell, the previous world-record holder within the 100 and the anchor man in 2008. Nonetheless, with Bolt, Blake and Weir presumably on the squad, there is no query who shall be favored. Qualifying begins Friday; the ultimate is Saturday. “Usain Bolt is truly an inspiration to everybody across the world,” stated Weir, who like Bolt and Blake is coached by Glen Mills. “And I must say, it’s well-deserved.” Is Bolt one of the best of his period? Completely. Finest ever? That is subjective, after all, and fodder for talk-radio drive time. Nevertheless it’s awfully robust to disregard Bolt’s titles and occasions. There was one world document established at 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium on Thursday: David Rudisha of Kenya gained the 800 meters in 1 minute, 40.91 seconds, bettering his personal normal by 0.10. “I know people love Bolt,” Rudisha stated, when requested about being overshadowed by the game’s largest star. “I’m happy for him, and I’m happy for me.” Rudisha whimsically entertained the prospect of a showdown over 400 meters in opposition to Bolt, who used to run that distance however deserted it as a result of it was an excessive amount of of a grind. “I think if I train, I can take Rudisha over 400 meters,” Bolt stated. Elsewhere Thursday, Individuals went 1-2 within the decathlon (Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee) and the triple leap (Christian Taylor and Will Claye), elevating the U.S. monitor and discipline whole with three days to go to 24 medals, yet another than the full in Beijing. Jamaica is tied for second with 9 monitor medals after Thursday — 4 from Bolt and Blake. Once they returned to gather their prizes and listen to their nationwide anthem as soon as once more, Bolt did his now-customary leap as much as the highest step of the rostrum. He kissed his medal, then bit it. Earlier than Thursday’s victory, Bolt was sporting a backward yellow baseball cap with a black interlocking “UB,” and he added a particular British-flavored contact to all his prerace preening, holding a hand aloft for a easy royal wave. Then he curled his arms, one after the other, pretending he was lifting barbells, and seemed proper at a TV digicam. As ever, prepared for his close-up. Later within the night, as his information convention ended — after he famous that his medals are “in a safe deposit box with some armed men around them,” and talked about making a terrific winger for a soccer staff — Bolt unfold his arms broad and closed the session with this pronouncement: “I am now a living legend. Bask in my glory.”
Bolt 1st With 2 Golds in 200 Leads Jamaican Sweep
