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Jamaica’s Usain Bolt clinched the final of the 200m event at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing on Thursday. The 29-year-old athlete finished the race with a timing of 19.55 seconds, thereby creating a new 200m record for the current season. The mark also puts him on the eighth spot in the all-time list for the fastest times.
USA’s Justin Gatlin took the silver with a timing of 19.74 while South Africa’s Anaso Jopbodwana finished third with 19.87 seconds.
Starting the race in lane 6, Bolt sprinted his way to victory even as Gatlin gave his absolute best to stay abreast. But the Jamaican was in no mood for mercy, and showed the world why he is considered one of the greatest if not the greatest athlete of all time.
Bolt finished the 200m semifinals on Tuesday with a time of 19.95 seconds while Gatlin was much quicker, completing his semifinal with a timing of 19.87 seconds. And in the heats that preceded the semis, the 29-year-old Jamaican finished with a timing of 20.28 seconds while Gatlin completed the heats with a much better timing of 20.19.
All that meant nothing, however, as Bolt turned it around spectacularly when it mattered most.
This is now the Bolt’s fourth 200m gold at the World Championships and it is the second instance in a row when he has won both the 100m and the 200m gold at the World Championships. Of course, he also did the double during his record-breaking turn in 2009.
Bolt would now be hoping to complete a rare triple for the third time when he takes to the track for the 4x100m relay event on Saturday.
