Usain Bolt at IAAF World Championships 2015: Result and Time from Tuesday
Usain Bolt sashayed into the semi-finals of the men’s 200 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, winning his heat in a time of 20.28 seconds on Tuesday.
The Jamaican sensation was comfortable throughout the race, leaving plenty in the tank for challenges to come. Winning the heat guarantees him a spot in the semis, which will take place on Wednesday; the final will round off Thursday’s schedule of events.
Bolt will be hoping to add gold in the 200 metres to his historic triumph in the 100-metre sprint on Sunday, but American Justin Gatlin, who also progressed into the semi-finals after winning his heat, will fancy his chances of revenge over the longer distance.
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| 1 | 1 | Ramil GULIYEV | 20.01 Q NR |
| 2 | 1 | Alonso EDWARD | 20.11 Q |
| 3 | 1 | Zharnel HUGHES | 20.13 Q |
| 4 | 1 | Likoúrgos-Stéfanos TSÁKONAS | 20.14 Q |
| 5 | 2 | Julian FORTE | 20.16 Q |
| 6 | 3 | Brendon RODNEY | 20.18 Q PB |
| 7 | 1 | Justin GATLIN | 20.19 Q |
| 8 | 2 | Churandy MARTINA | 20.22 Q SB |
| 8 | 1 | Anaso JOBODWANA | 20.22 Q |
| 10 | 4 | Akani SIMBINE | 20.23 q PB |
| 13 | 1 | Usain BOLT | 20.28 Q |
Bolt Cruises Through
Winning the 100 metres was always going to be the big challenge facing Bolt at these championships, so with a gold medal already in the bag, the laid-back Jamaican cut an even more relaxed figure than usual as he settled into the starting blocks.
As we can see here, courtesy of NBC’s Nick Zaccardi, the Jamaican seemed happy with the announcer referring to him as a newly crowned nine-time world champion:
The race performance was befitting of a man completely content with his performance levels. A sizzling bend put the Jamaican well clear, and although other competitors closed him down in the final metres, Bolt had long turned off the afterburners to conserve energy for the upcoming semi-finals.
"The 200m means a lot more to me but I'm a little worried about my fitness because I've not done many this year," said Bolt to BBC Sport in the aftermath. "But I think I am a better technical runner in this event. I am tired and a little sore but I'm going to take another ice bath and I'll be OK."
Gatlin provided us with an indication of why Bolt will need to be at his best in the next rounds. The American was equally comfortable in his heat, coasting to a time of 20.19 seconds after another scintillating start to the race.
Zharnel Hughes also gave Bolt something to smile about with his performance. The young Brit is being mentored by the six-time Olympic champion and was given the unfortunate draw of the inside lane in Heat 5. But he produced an accomplished display to belie his tender years, timing his finish brilliantly to win the heat with a time of 20.13 seconds.
As noted here by British Athletics, Hughes has quite an affinity with Bolt:
Arguably the biggest shock of the heats saw exciting American prodigy Isiah Young drop out. The 25-year-old has been touted for big things after some impressive recent displays, and he looked serene around the first bend. But Young tightened up badly in the latter stages, finished sixth in the opening heat and missed out on the semi-finals.
This distance has always been the one Bolt enjoys the most, and the chance to become a 10-time world champion will act as a perfect motivational tool going into the semi-finals on Wednesday.
While it’s tough to garner too much from the early stages, Gatlin was also imperious and will push Bolt all the way again. But the Olympic champion is serene over the half-track discipline, and with confidence bristling after his historic triumph on Sunday, Usain is going to be a tough man to beat in Thursday's showpiece.
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