Usain Bolt at IAAF World Championships 2015: Result and Time from Thursday
Usain Bolt is a 10-time world champion, as the Jamaican sprinter stormed to a stunning victory in the final of the men's 200-metre dash at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing on Thursday.
Bolt ran a time of 19.55 seconds to take the gold medal, well ahead of the United States' Justin Gatlin (19.74) and Anaso Jobodwana (19.87) of South Africa, who finished in the silver and bronze medal positions, respectively.
It's the fourth time Bolt has won over the half-track distance at the world championships and the third time in this competition he's won both the 100-metre and the 200-metre sprint events. Here's a recap of how the action panned out in what was another gripping race.
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| 1 | Usain BOLT | JAM | 19.55 | 0.147 |
| 2 | Justin GATLIN | USA | 19.74 | 0.161 |
| 3 | Anaso JOBODWANA | RSA | 19.87 | 0.154 |
| 4 | Alonso EDWARD | PAN | 19.87 | 0.170 |
| 5 | Zharnel HUGHES | GBR | 20.02 | 0.119 |
| 6 | Ramil GULIYEV | TUR | 20.11 | 0.180 |
| 7 | Femi OGUNODE | QAT | 20.27 | 0.198 |
| 8 | Nickel ASHMEADE | JAM | 20.33 | 0.132 |
Bolt Blows the Rest Away
The style with which Bolt began this race meant that Gatlin never really had a chance. He flew out of the traps at the start and was up into his stride immediately, coasting around the bend and ahead of the rest of the field.
As Tom Fordyce of BBC Sport notes here, it was Usain’s pace in the opening phases that allowed him to sew this one up:
After the transitional phases, with room to run into, there was no doubt which man was going to come out on top. The third quarter of the final saw Bolt put clear daylight between himself and Gatlin, who clocked in at 19.74 seconds, allowing the Jamaican to take a look around for the final 50 metres and soak up the adulation of the Beijing crowd.
Afterwards, Bolt spoke of his delight at getting the gold and had a message for those who had doubted him coming into these championships, per BBC Sport:
"It's great, a fourth win over 200m and 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. For me I knew I had the utmost confidence. As long as my coach is confident I'm super confident.
There was never a doubt that I would win this one. I'm number one. The British people give me a lot of love and I will continue running fast. Michael Johnson stop doubting me bro.
"
The final time, 19.55 seconds, could have been so much quicker had the Jamaican decided to keep his speed up. As we can see here, courtesy of beIN Sports’ Tancredi Palmeri, Bolt was a lot more comfortable in the latter stages of this final than the 100-metre showpiece:
The Jamaican had his sights set on an impressive mark, per Athletics Weekly:
Gatlin didn't have enough in the end, and after losing out in the final off the shorter sprint, getting the better of Bolt over his preferred distance was always going to be an uphill challenge.
While the American was comfortable in second position, the battle for third spot was tight. But Jobodwana just edged out Panama’s Alonso Edward in a photo finish, with both men finishing on 19.87 seconds.
After the race, Bolt discussed Gatlin, per Athletics Weekly:
South African sports journalist Robert Marawa paid tribute to the efforts of his bronze medal-winning compatriot and his ability to hang with the best:
It was a special race for Bolt, and after plenty of doubts about his speed over the past couple of years, there were some concerns that the fire had gone out in the Jamaican. But the resurgence of Gatlin seems to have spurred him on to even more great things.
As such, it’d probably be wise of those who did write him off to never do so again, per Ben Bloom of the Daily Telegraph:
Bolt has always maintained that this event is his best, and after winning the 100 earlier in the championships, he cut a relaxed figure in the buildup to Thursday's final. But once the 29-year-old had settled down into the starting blocks, it was clear he meant business.
Gatlin has been the fastest man around in both sprint distances coming into these championships, and although he hasn't run poorly in Beijing, he hasn't been able to match Bolt's ability to raise his game in the pressure moments. For all of his amicable antics, various records and ever-expanding medal collection, that steely quality should be the proudest facet of Bolt's remarkable legacy.
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