In-depth: A champion again, a legend forever - how much longer will Usain Bolt continue to dominate?
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Updated 28/08/2015 at 09:41 GMT
After a breathlessly tight finish in the 100m, Usain Bolt brushed everyone aside on the way to 200m gold at the World Athletics Championships. It was a run that re-affirmed (again!) the Jamaican’s greatness – but just how long can he go on for?
Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates after winning the final of the men's 200 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in Beijing on August 27, 2015
Image credit: AFP
HOW IT HAPPENED
Considering the way the 100m final unfolded – Bolt edged to victory, but many observers were left wondering if Justin Gatlin would have triumphed had he kept his form together over the final 10 metres – the 200m was billed as Gatlin’s great chance at revenge.
Bolt had looked more impressive in the 200m heats than he had done over the preliminaries for the shorter distance, but also Gatlin looked to have regrouped after his disappointment and seemed primed to make amends. The stage was set for a dramatic showdown, even if Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes had managed to insert himself between the two superstars for the final with an impressive semi-final run.
And what a final it was, conforming to what many hoped would happen rather than what they feared would occur. Taking advantage of his draw in lane 6, Bolt more than matched Gatlin (who had the advantage of watching him from lane 4) out of the blocks and had a narrow advantage over the American when the field came off the bend – an advantage he only extended as he got into full stride down the home straight.
With 20 metres remaining and daylight between himself and the field it was obvious the Jamaican had won, permitting him another trademark early celebration – this time pointing to the name on his chest as he burst through the line in a time of 19.55 seconds.
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Jamaica's Usain Bolt (C) celebrates with fans after winning the final of the men's 200 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in Beijing on August 27, 2015
Image credit: AFP
HOW HE REACTED
The 29-year-old now has 10 world titles and six Olympic gold medals to his name, and has not been beaten over 200m (“my favourite [event] since I was 15”) in the finals of a major competition since the 2007 Worlds.
This latest sprint double seemed to carry some extra satisfaction, considering many had feared Bolt’s chances going into the meet. He said:
"It means a lot to me. I'm happy to be a 10-time World Championships gold medallist, especially when people have been saying I would lose. I had the utmost confidence. As long as my coach is confident, I'm super confident.
Justin Gatlin said earlier in the week that he was going to bring out something special for the 200m I was like, ‘Yo, you don’t talk about my 200m like that’, so I had to prove to him that I am No. 1.
HOW HIS RIVALS AND PEERS REACTED
Justin Gatlin (who finished second): "I ran as hard as I could. I held my form as long as I could. I am just tired from running so many rounds. It's been such a long season. It feels good to go against him. I'm just going to prepare myself for next year, for the Olympics, and come out even stronger."
Anaso Jobodwana (who finished third): "[Bolt and I] spoke in the call room and he said, ‘Are you ready for a 19 [second run]?’ and I said ‘Yeah’ and he said ‘Oh, you don’t sound too confident’ and I said ‘No, no, no, I’m ready to run’ … When he saw me [after] he was like, ‘Congrats … 19!’ Him talking to me also spurred me on."
Zharnel Hughes (who finished fifth): "He is a legend. I even doubted him a bit but he knows what to do, so credit to him and congratulations to him."
Multiple world champion Michael Johnson: "He is the best in the world and he does not have any rivals. We have to give him a lot of credit for running in the 100m and 200m - this is the most he has been challenged."
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Usain Bolt Jamaica (bottom) celebrates winning the race ahead of Justin Gatlin of U.S. (R) who finished in second and Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain in the men's 200 metres final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing
Image credit: Reuters
WAS IT THE PERFECT DAY?
Well, not quite … for about the first time in his career Bolt was caught from behind during his post-race celebrations, as a cameraman on a Segway suffered pretty much everyone’s worst nightmare…
Fortunately nobody was seriously injured. Afterwards Bolt was light-hearted about the whole thing, saying at the post-race press conference: "The rumour I'm starting right now is that Justin Gatlin paid him off."
Gatlin, sitting next to his rival, replied: "I want my money back!"
WHAT NEXT FOR BOLT?
This is where things get interesting. Although the results of the week have remained the same, it is clear that the winning is not coming quite so easily for Bolt who, now 29, is entering the point where historically sprinters have tended to drop off (Gatlin, 33, is one of a handful of statistical anomalies).
The Jamaican’s public intention had previously been to compete at next year’s Olympics and then retire following the 2017 World Championships in London – but on Thursday evening he indicated the second part of that equation may now be in doubt.
"I want to run but I think the sport is not as fun as it used to be - it's more taxing,” Bolt told the BBC. "I can't enjoy it as much as I want to because I have to sacrifice more.
"It is 50-50 [whether I run in London].”
OUR VIEW
In winning the 200m to complete yet another sprint double, Usain Bolt confirmed his continued supremacy over the sprinting game and, indeed, the wider athletics world. Always his favourite event, the margin of victory in the 200m suggests that he will still be able to dominate that particular discipline for a few more years to come.
It is in the 100m, however, where Bolt’s grip is starting to look ever so slightly tenuous. Age may finally catch up with Gatlin before he is able to finally surpass his rival, but last Saturday's final underlined that the new generation are coming up fast - literally and figuratively.
Trayvon Bromell and Andre De Grasse (both just 20) easily broke 10 seconds in claiming bronze medals in the final and figure to improve their times exponentially over the coming seasons whereas Bolt, who perhaps alluded to the issue in his training comments, needs to work harder than ever simply to maintain his current speed. (It is worth noting Bolt's 100m world record was set when he was 23 - and he was 21 before he went sub-10 seconds).
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Usain Bolt avec Justin Gatlin et Zharnel Hughes lors du 200m des Mondiaux 2015
Image credit: AFP
Bolt’s physique, and seemingly his personality too, has always been better suited to the 200m, where the start (which will always be slightly difficult for a man so big) is less significant and his long, rangy stride has more time to have an effect - but it is the 100m that is the sport’s blue riband event.
Bolt can hardly retire from that event and keep going in others, but he seems aware that it is the shorter distance that he will be beaten over first (perhaps he even feared that moment was coming this month), so maybe he is plotting his retirement based in part in a pre-emptive move against any loss of his dominance.
He should have another year in him as the undisputed king – offering him the chance to win a third successive sprint double at the Olympic Games and reach another career peak. He is already a sporting legend, but that would perhaps lift him above all equals – a record of achievement almost impossible for anyone to ever match.
After that, why not go out on a high? What more will he have to prove?
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