Usain Bolt has beaten rival Justin Gatlin to win 200m gold and complete the sprint double at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
The Jamaican was out quicker and opened an unassailable lead over the first 100m before coming away down the straight and jabbing his thumbs at his chest as he crossed the line.
His 19.55 seconds was the fastest in the world this year, his speed and peerless championship class too good for American Justin Gatlin, whose 19.74 was well outside his season’s best.
Usain Bolt, 29, who will also compete in the 4x100m relay, said: “It means a lot to me.
“I’m happy to be a 10-time World Championships gold medalist, especially when people have been saying I would lose.
“I had the utmost confidence. As long as my coach is confident, I’m super confident.
“The British people give me a lot of love and I will continue running fast.”
South Africa’s Anaso Jobodwana set a national record of 19.87, with Panama’s Alonso Edwards three thousands of a second behind in fourth.
Justin Gatlin, twice banned for doping, had run more than two tenths of a second faster than any other man in the field this year, and almost half a second quicker than Usain Bolt.
Usain Bolt guided the Jamaican team to victory in the sprint relay in Moscow to become the most successful athlete in the history of the World Championships.
Usain Bolt, 26, added 4×100 m gold to his 100m and 200m triumphs and now has a total of eight golds and two silvers.
Carl Lewis and Allyson Felix also have 10 medals but have eight golds, one silver and a bronze respectively.
Jamaica won in 37.36 seconds with the US second and Canada third after Great Britain were disqualified.
Usain Bolt’s latest triumph meant he joined Americans Michael Johnson, Felix and Lewis on a record-equalling eight world titles overall.
The 100 m and 200 m world record holder also secured a sprint triple in World Championships for the second time, matching the trebles he completed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Usain Bolt guided the Jamaican team to victory in the sprint relay in Moscow to become the most successful athlete in the history of the World Championships
“It is just great,” Usain Bolt said of the comparison.
“I’ll continue dominating. I’ll continue to work hard. For me, my aim is to continue into the greatness thing.”
The US team gave the Jamaicans a scare but Rakieem Salaam’s handover to Justin Gatlin left the individual 100m runner-up off balance.
He clearly strayed into the Jamaicans’ lane outside him but somehow escaped disqualification.
It made no difference to Usain Bolt, who streaked clear to complete victory in the sixth-fastest time ever.
“I wasn’t really worried about Justin. I knew if he got the baton in front of me, I could catch him,” he said.
“So it was just going out there to run as fast as possible.”
Usain Bolt delighted the crowd with a celebratory Cossack dance before parading round the track with team-mates Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nickel Ashmeade.
Usain Bolt regained his 100 m world title and won a fourth individual World Championships gold with a season’s best of 9.77 seconds in Moscow.
In heavy rain, the 26-year-old Jamaican made amends for his false start in Daegu two years ago and further cemented his status as the greatest sprinter in history.
The six-time Olympic champion overtook Justin Gatlin in the final stages, forcing the American to settle for silver in 9.85.
Usain Bolt’s compatriot Nesta Carter (9.95) claimed bronze, while Britain’s James Dasaolu was eighth (10.21).
It was another convincing victory for Usain Bolt, who demonstrated his superiority by equalling the eighth-fastest time of his career in unfavourable conditions.
Such is Usain Bolt’s dominance of the event, he does not have to be at his quickest to win major championships.
Usain Bolt regained his 100 m world title and won a fourth individual World Championships gold in Moscow
Justin Gatlin, who beat Usain Bolt in Rome in June, said: “I’m getting closer, I’m very happy with my race. The last 30m I got long. In Rome I was able to… do my race, which I didn’t do tonight.
“He [Usain Bolt] has been working on his start – in Rome he had the best reaction out of everybody and he is 6ft 5in. I had to make sure I was beating him to 50 m.”
James Dasaolu, who ran 9.97 in the semi-finals earlier on Sunday, said: “I got to 50 m or 60 m but then they just started to run away from me.
“I think the semi-final took it out of me, but I made it through three rounds and I’m happy that I’m injury free and I can continue with the rest of the season.”
The sight of Usain Bolt surging past his rivals is now a familiar one, as is his fooling around at the start line – as the rain bounced off the Moscow track, he mimed holding an umbrella.
When the gun went, his reaction time of 0.163 sec was equal to that of main rival Justin Gatlin, and the pair were shoulder-to-shoulder before Usain Bolt eased away.
Perhaps the only disappointment of the evening was that the Luzhniki Stadium was not full for the championships’ blue riband event.
Those who were there, however, saved their loudest cheers for the man charged with lifting the sport after a spate of failed drug tests, the most recent concerning Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste.
But neither the rain nor doping scandals could dampen the celebrations as Usain Bolt, with flashbulbs lighting up the stadium, embarked on a jubilant lap of honor.
[youtube P9U34E-6rEk]
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
