BEIJING -- There are simply no superlatives left to describe Usain Bolt. For now, and for the foreseeable future, “World’s fastest Man” will have to suffice.
Completing the finest week of sprinting in the history of mankind, Usain Bolt broke the world record in the 200 meters tonight, clocking a phenomenal 19.30 seconds. With his 9.69 world record in the 100m on Saturday, the Jamaican became the first man in Olympic history to break both records at the same Olympic Games.
His performance tonight eclipsed the 19.32 mark set by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. But unlike his record dash in the 100, where he spent the latter part of the race looking side-to-side, raising his arms and thumping his chest, Bolt powered through the line with nearly 90,000 people cheering him on. As he crossed the line, the clock stopped at 19.31, but a few seconds later was corrected to 19.30.
Speaking with reporters a few hours before the race, Johnson said, “I don’t think that he’ll break it tonight. But it wouldn’t be a shock. Nothing he’ll do would shock me.”
Yet after he crossed the line, the stunned crowd, both in the stands and the crowded press tribune, simply stood and stared, trying yet again to grasp what they had just witnessed.
A few hours later, the crowd joined in a sing-along rendition of Happy Birthday to Bolt, who celebrates his 22nd birthday tomorrow.
In the wake of Bolt’s re-entry, Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles was the surprise runner-up in 19.82, a national record, with defending champion Shawn Crawford taking the bronze in 19.96.
Wallace Spearmon, initially listed as third, was disqualified for a lane violation.
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