Jamaica’s Usain Bolt greatest competitor isn’t the field, but rather the world records he’s set. While Bolt didn’t accomplish his goal of breaking the world record of 19.19 seconds that he set in the 200, he easily blew away the field to win the event for a third consecutive Summer Olympics.
Bolt finished in 19.78 seconds, winning his final individual Olympic race. Now his attention will turn to the 4x100, an event that Jamaica has won (with Bolt’s help, of course) in the last two Olympics.
WATCH: Bolt seizes 200m gold for third straight time
Taking silver was Canada’s Andre De Grasse with a time of 20.02 seconds, with France’s Christophe LeMaitre taking bronze with a time of 20.12 seconds. Bolt was out in front from the start, and the margin by which he defeated De Grasse (.24 seconds) is larger than the margin separating second place from seventh (.21 seconds). While Bolt’s dominance in the 100 and 200 have long been a common occurrence, that doesn’t make his accomplishments any less extraordinary.
Both De Grasse and LeMaitre ended long streaks without a medal in the 200 for their nations, with De Grasse being the first Canadian to medal in the 200 since 1928 (Percy Williams, gold) and LeMaitre being the first Frenchman to medal since 1960 (Abdoulaye Seye, bronze).
American LaShawn Merritt finished sixth with a time of 20.19 seconds, as he failed to add to the bronze he won in the 400 meters. Merritt will look to win a second medal in these Games as part of the U.S. 4x400 relay team.