By Linda Robertson, McClatchy Newspapers –
LONDON — Usain Bolt put a finger to his lips as he crossed the finish line in the 200-meter dash. But his theatrical gesture only caused spectators on their feet to roar louder. They had witnessed history.
(PHOTO: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men’s 200 meters at the Summer Olympics on Thursday, August 9, 2012, in London England. )
Jamaica’s Bolt became the first man to win successive Olympic gold medals in the glamour sprints Thursday when his giant stride propelled him around the curve and down the homestretch to a convincing victory in the 200 four days after he won the 100.
Bolt, also the first man to win two Olympic 200 titles, finished in 19.32 seconds, the same time Michael Johnson ran when he set the world record at the 1996 Games. Bolt broke that record with his 19.19 in 2009 and would have broken his Olympic record of 19.30 if he had not slowed down on his final three strides.
But he wanted to send a message.
“That was for all the people who doubted me, the people talking all kinds of stuff that I wasn’t going to do it, I was going to be beaten,” Bolt said. “I was just telling them, ‘You can stop talking now, because I am a legend.’”
Bolt did five pushups on the track, signifying the five gold medals he’s won so far at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He’s got a chance to go six-for-six in the 400 relay on Saturday.
Yohan Blake played silver-medal apprentice to his teammate and Kingston training partner once again in 19.44 seconds. Warren Weir placed third in 19.84 to give Jamaica a sweep of the event for the first time. Only the U.S. had done it previously — six times.
Bolt, in Lane 7, glanced across at Blake, in Lane 4, a few times in the last 100 meters. The muscles in his lower back, which had been giving him problems, tightened, and he wanted to make sure his lead wasn’t eroding. Blake has superior closing speed and Olympic Stadium spectators sucked in their breath briefly when it looked like Blake might catch Bolt.
But the 6-5 Bolt held form on his nine-foot strides, and his flourish at the finish was reminiscent of his final celebratory strides in Beijing. Before the London Games began, there were questions about Bolt’s back and hamstrings and his sometimes unreliable start. He had lost to Blake in the 100 and 200 at Jamaica’s trials. Turns out that was a good thing.
“Losing at trials really opened my eyes,” Bolt said. “Yohan has made me a better athlete.”
After finishing, Bolt, 25, put on another show: He hugged his teammates and fans in the stands; knelt down and kissed the track; struck his archer’s pose; borrowed a camera from a photographer and snapped pictures of Blake.
Bolt was so relaxed before the start that he chatted with his lane attendant. He wore a yellow Puma baseball cap with UB embroidered on it.
During introductions, Bolt waved to the crowd as Queen Elizabeth would, with a stiff hand. Then he pretended to lift dumbbells. Blake, whom Bolt nicknamed “The Beast,” did his clawing-at-the-cameras routine.
Bolt made a “shhhhh” signal as he folded his long legs into the blocks. His clean start put him in strong position and when the runners made up the stagger, he already had a sizeable lead.
“I made myself a legend,” said Bolt, who was critical of Carl Lewis’ insinuations of drug use on the pro track circuit when asked to compare himself to Lewis. “Now I’m going to relax and think about my next goal.”
American Wallace Spearmon was fourth; his time of 19.9 would have won gold in five of the last 10 Olympics.
“He’s on another planet,” Spearmon said of Bolt.
Said Blake: “This is Usain’s time. Mine is coming.”
Also at Olympic Stadium, two ex-Florida Gator teammates finished 1-2 in the triple jump.
World champ Christian Taylor — slapping his face and encouraging the crowd to do rhythmic clapping — took the lead with his fourth jump of 7.81 meters, on which he toed the board perfectly. He fouled on his first two attempts, then fouled on his sixth, hoped his mark would stand. Will Claye moved into second on his 17.62-meter fourth leap.
Then Taylor and Claye, who trained together and decided to turn pro last summer after Taylor won the world title, waited for Italy’s Fabrizio Donato to take his last jump. Donato ran through the pit and wound up third.
“Having Will as my rival is great,” said Taylor, who trains at Daytona Beach at Embry-Riddle University. “He’s my brother, really. We’ll always be fighting but at the end of the day, we’re hugging.”
Said Claye, who placed third in the long jump: “We’ll both have chances to break the world record. We’re bringing attention to the jumps.”
The “World’s Greatest Athlete” title was reaffirmed by Ashton Eaton, who set the decathlon world record at the U.S. Trials in his home state of Oregon and ran away from the Olympic field with wins in three events. American Trey Hardee was second. The decathletes logged two 12-hour days. Eaton won the 13th Olympic gold in decathlon for the U.S., going back to Jim Thorpe.
Kenya’s David “King David” Rudisha broke his own world record in winning the 800 in 1:40.91.
Miami’s Lauryn Williams was sure-handed and speedy in anchoring the U.S. women’s 400-relay team to first in its heat and the best qualifying time (41.64 seconds) for Friday’s final. Williams was part of botched relays at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. This time the exchange was smooth and Williams opened a gap on her way to the finish.
Williams, silver medalist in the 100 in Athens, did not make the U.S. team in the open 100 or 200 but she was placed in the relay pool by U.S. head coach and University of Miami coach Amy Deem.
“I was so nervous I felt like I was running the 100,” Williams said. “Having messed it up two times I felt a tremendous amount of pressure.”
Williams said the U.S. women have been practicing handoffs “til we were blue in the face.” She even found herself walking out of the athletes’ village instinctively thrusting her left hand behind her.
“It’s bittersweet being here to play a supporting role instead of going out with a bang,” she said. “But it was an important piece and a great weight off my shoulders.”
