On Aug. 5, Usain Bolt defended his Olympic title by securing a gold medal in the 100 meter final. His time, 9.63 seconds, is an Olympic record and just .05 seconds short of the world record which was set by Bolt in 2009. Fellow Jamaican and 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake won silver with a time of 9.75, while Justin Gatlin won bronze for U.S.A. with a time of 9.79. Every other sprinter ended with a time under 10 seconds except Asafa Powell, who fell short due to a previous groin injury resurfacing in the middle of the match.
There was plenty of hype even before the race had begun, mainly due to Bolt’s loss in both the 100 and 200 meter sprints at the Jamaican Olympic Trials to training partner Yohan Blake. Blake had won the 2011 IAAF World Championship after Bolt was disqualified because of a false start.
After the win, Bolt stated, “There was a lot of people saying that I wasn’t going to win. There was a lot of talk. For me, it was an even greater feeling to come out and show the world I’m still the No. 1. I’m still the best.”
Bolts admitted that the losses to Blake woke him up from his glory and fame, and helped him keep his sights on the gold. Hearing Bolt’s statement, Blake replied, “I’ve trained really hard. That’s why Usain nicknamed me ‘The Beast.’ ”
Bolt’s win makes him just the second man in Olympic history to win back to back golds for the 100 meter dash. Carl Lewis won back to back golds in the 1984-1988 Olympics.
Next up for Bolt is the 200 meters, then the 4×100 relay. If he wins all three, Bolt will be the first athlete in history to defend all three titles. When asked how he would feel if he was able to accomplish this feat, Bolt replied, “That’s my ultimate goal. That’s it for me.”
