London 2012: Bolt gold makes more history

By James Cunliffe
Thursday, August 9, 2012
9:25 PM

Olympic sprinting: World’s fastest man breezes to 200 metre title

Usain Bolt has become the first man ever to have successfully defend both the 100 and 200 metre Olympic titles.

The final of the longer distance had been billed as the rematch between the world record holder and Jamaican training partner Yohan Blake but the outcome was the same as the weekend.

This time fellow countryman Warren Weir clinched bronze to make it a clean sweep for the Caribbean nation, yet once again the night belonged to Bolt as his victory in 19.32 seconds further cemented his legendary staus.

He said: “This is what I wanted and I got it. I’m very proud of myself. I had a rough season, I came out here and I did what I had to do.

“We’ve been working hard all season. We pushed ourselves, we pushed each other and we’re happy.”

Asked if he could have had a world record, Bolt added: “I think it was possible...but I guess I wasn’t fit enough. I was fast but I wasn’t fit enough.

“I came off the corner, I could feel the strain on my back a little bit so I was trying to keep my form, but I stopped running because I knew it wasn’t going to be a world record. When I came off the corner I could feel it.

“It was hard. I really dedicated myself to my work, I know what London meant to me. I came here and I gave it my all and I’m proud of myself.

“I didn’t get a world record - I really wanted to do it in the 200m - but I’m happy.”