The Men’s 200m semi-finals saw Jamaica’s Usain Bolt qualify for the final with startling ease but it also saw 2012 silver medalist Yohan Blake and USA’s Justin Gatlin eliminated. The latter two athletes were lined up in the third semi-final and neither athlete failed to make the cut with only eight sprinters going through to the final.
Qualification criteria: The top two finishers of each of the three semi-finals automatically qualify for the final. Following that, only the two fastest athletes move into the final
In what was to be the last individual medal Bolt was going to compete for, the Jamaican was scheduled to start in Heat 2 alongside 100m bronze medalist Andre De Grasse of Canada while his compatriot Blake was lined up alongside USA’s Gatlin in Heat 3. De Grasse had set the fastest time in the 200m heats only two days ago.
Heat 1 saw favourites Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade and American sprinter Lashawn Merritt in lanes 4 and 6 respectively. While Merritt ran a very good race in spite of a poor start, Ashmeade fell away in the final 75 metres.
It was Merritt who eventually finished first with a time of 19.94 seconds. It was only after they rounded the curve that he managed to move into the lead and then extend it on the straight. Meanwhile, it was the Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre who finished second in the semi-final despite starting in the outermost lane, clocking a time of 20.01 to qualify automatically.
Bolt started in Lane 4 in the second semi-final and the Rio Olympic Stadium was almost packed to capacity to watch him race. As the stadium announcer went through the list of athletes, he only said, “You know who he is,” when the cameraman moved to Bolt as the crowd roared.
And once the starter;s gun went off, Bolt hit his stride immediately. He was in the lead halfway through the curve and in the final 100 metres, the two-time Olympic champion was well in the clear.
That was when he broke into a huge grin and reduced his efficiency to about 80%. In spite of De Grasse catching up to him, Bolt only smiled back at his nearest competitor and teased him all the way to the finish line to clock a time of 19.78 seconds. De Grasse, who finished with a time of 19.80 seconds actually set a new Canadain national record but just could not beat Bolt in what was a photo finish – with Bolt’s smile completing the picture.
The third semi-final saw Gatlin in Lane 3 and 2012 silver medalist Blake in Lane 6. And it was a surprising set of results as both Blake and Gatlin failed to reach the final. Gatlin started strong and looked to be in the lead when they rounded the curve but soon lost his steam in the final 20 metres in what was the 34-year-old’s last individual Olympic race of his career.
It was, however, Alonso Edward of Panama and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands that qualified as the top two finishers with times of 20.07 and 20.10 seconds. Gatlin only managed a time of 20.13 as they beat him to the line and the time was only the ninth fastest overall. Blake had a disappointing run of 20.37 to finish sixth in the semi-final and 16th overall.
Men’s 200m finalists
| # | Country | Athlete | Semi-final | Time (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica | Usain Bolt | 2 | 19.78 |
| 2 | Canada | Andre De Grasse | 2 | 19.80 |
| 3 | USA | Lashawn Merritt | 1 | 19.94 |
| 4 | France | Christophe Lemaitre | 1 | 20.01 |
| 5 | Panama | Alonso Edward | 3 | 20.07 |
| 6 | Great Britain | Adam Gemili | 2 | 20.08 |
| 7 | Turkey | Ramil Guliyev | 2 | 20.09 |
| 8 | Netherlands | Churandy Martina | 3 | 20.10 |
