Usain Bolt wins eighth Olympic gold medal in one-sided 200m final
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 19/08/16 12:56pm
Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt easily won the men's 200m competition to secure his eighth Olympic Games gold medal.
Bolt was the only runner in the field to break 20 seconds in wet conditions as he added the 200m title to his 100m crown and closed on an unprecedented 'triple triple'.
Andre de Grasse secured silver for Canada and there was heartbreak for Team GB captain Adam Gemili, who finished fourth in the same time as bronze medal winner Christophe Lemaitre of France.
Gemili appeared to just mis-time his dip for the line and was beaten by millimetres in a three-way photo for third place, just edging Churandy Martina of the Netherlands into fifth.
But there was no taking the title away from Bolt, who will go for his ninth Olympic gold in the final of the men's 4x100m relay on Friday along with his Jamaican team-mates.
"I wasn't happy with the time," Bolt said. "I ran hard, but when I came into the straight my body would not respond to me.
"But it's just because I'm getting older. I'm not so young and fresh, but it's just one of those things. I got the gold medal and that's the main thing.
"It is something you work so hard for and when the moment comes you are happy and also relieved. The fact I came here and everything worked out is a brilliant feeling."
Asked about his future in the 200m at a major championships, Bolt, who has stated his intention to retire after next year's World Championships in London, added: "I don't know. I said when I come to the championships in London next year it would be 100m and that's it. My coach has a way of trying to convince me, but personally I believe this is my last one."
Gemili was understandably disappointed to miss out on the medals and he said: "I'm gutted. Probably the worst way to go out is fourth place and it went down to thousandths.
"I gave it my all, I literally gave it everything. It wasn't enough.
"I've got a great team behind me, we all put in such hard work and I wanted to get that medal not just for myself but for everyone. I couldn't quite do it today.
"It's hard to take. It's going to take a little while to get over that I think."
