Usain Bolt further cemented his legendary status after racing to a Season’s Best of 9.81s to win an unprecedented Triple-Gold in the men’s 100m at Rio 2016 Olympics.
It is a rare feat never seen before in the history of the sport, with the Jamaican beating Justin Gatlin who was 2nd in 9.89s and Andre De Grasse winning Bronze in 9.91s.
Bolt gave a snippet of what to expect when he comfortably won his semifinal heat in 9.86s despite practically jogging to the finish line. Gatlin responded in heat 3 which he won in 9.95s, but by then it became cleared that Bolt was on the cusp of winning a third successive Olympic 100m title.
Depending on your timezone across the world, many people defied the odd hours to watch a race that lived up to hype and publicity it generated prior to the Games.
Although Gatlin led from the start in the first 50m and looked like he was going to beat Bolt, the Jamaican got into full gear and stormed past his American counterpart en route retaining his title.
It’s the fastest Bolt has run this season, having gone under 10s just twice prior to the Games. It may not have matched Wayde Van Niekerk’s 400m World Record feat on the night, but Bolt will be delighted that he has been able to make it three successive GOLDs dating back to Beijing 2008.
Bolt will bow out from the Olympics a legend, and as the 2017 World Championships in London beckons, no doubt he will still be the favourite for a third successive World title.
