Olympic 2016 Medal Count: Friday's Easy-to-View Nation Rankings and Results
Usain Bolt was not about to be denied in the 200-meter dash Thursday night at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
After getting out of the blocks in brilliant fashion, Bolt built a sizable lead, maintained his separation through the finish and rolled to his second gold medal of the Games with a time of 19.78 seconds.
Andre De Grasse of Canada finished second to the Jamaican, but he was never able to mount a serious challenge.
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Bolt has won the event in three consecutive Olympics, and if he can get another gold in the 4x100-meter relay Friday, it will give him the sport's first-ever "triple-triple" and nine gold medals in his Olympic career.
The charismatic 29-year-old struck his familiar lightning pose as part of his post-victory celebration.
"I've proven to the world I'm the greatest. This is what I came here for. That's what I'm doing. This is why I said this is my last Olympics—I can't prove anything else," Bolt said after the race (h/t Callum Ng of CBC Sports).
Bolt's consistent domination in the sprint events has been his signature, and he believes that it puts him in a category with the greatest athletes of all time.
"What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest?" he added. "I am trying to be one of the greatest. Be among [Muhammad] Ali and Pele. I hope to be in that bracket after these Games."
In addition to Bolt's participation in the relay, the American women will go for the gold in the 4x100-meter relay as well, led by Allyson Felix and Tori Bowie.
The American men's basketball team is one victory away from playing for the gold medal Sunday. If Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Carmelo Anthony don't stumble against Spain Friday, they will have a chance to win another gold medal.
If Bolt brings a sense of flair and confidence to his events, decathlon gold medal-winner Ashton Eaton brings a sense of camaraderie and overwhelming support to his demanding event.
American Jeremy Taiwo told Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post: “If you watch him compete, he’s always rooting for everyone else. Just to see that person, that character, be at that high level of performance and be the best athlete of all time, that’s awesome, right?”
Eaton had hopes of not only winning his second consecutive decathlon gold, but bettering his own world record in the process. While he did not get the record, he was able to win the gold medal and join Bob Mathias as the only other two-time American winner of the event—Daley Thompson of Great Britain is the only other two-time winner of the decathlon.
Eaton tied an Olympic record with 8,893 points in the event, as he equaled the mark of of the Czech Republic’s Roman Sebrle, which had been set in Athens in 2004.
The United States also had success in the shot put, as Ryan Crouser took home the gold medal and Joe Kovacs won the silver medal.
Those two dominated the competition, as Kovacs took the lead early with a throw of 21.78 meters on his first attempt.
After that, Crouser tossed the shot 22.22 meters for a personal best on his second attempt and then set an Olympic record with a final throw of 22.52 meters.
“To have everything go essentially perfectly is unbelievable,” Crouser said, per Svrluga.
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