Rio Update – Bolt Makes History As Jamaica Dominates Sprints

Usain Bolt cemented his legacy as perhaps the greatest sprinter ever when he once again ran away from the field in the final of the 200m in Rio last night. In winning, Bolt has won the 100m and 200m in three consecutive Olympics, a feat that is truly unimaginable. And he makes it look so easy. In both races in Rio, Bolt had put clear distance between himself and his fellow competitors and could have coasted in the last few strides and still won – that is how dominant he was. Bolt’s final event at these games, and, he insists, in his career, will be the 4X100 relay where he and his Jamaican teammates will be aiming to win for the third straight Olympics as well. They are the clear favorites. Although it will be impossible to fill Bolt’s golden shoes, he looks to be handing the baton of best sprinter to Andre de Grasse of Canada who came in second in the 200m, having previously won the bronze behind Bolt and Justin Gatlin in the 100m. Christophe Lemaitre of France won the bronze in the 200m by a whisker in a photo finish between three runners.

Jamaica is producing the greatest sprinters in the world these days. On the women’s side, Elaine Thompson also completed the double, winning both the 100m and 200m races. In addition, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price of Jamaica won the bronze in the 100m. An incredibly impressive result for a poor island nation of 2.7 million.