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ATHLETICS: Bolt thunders to sprint double triumph

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win gold in the men’s 200m final yesterday in Beijing. PHOTO: AP

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won the Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m yesterday, breaking the world record in a time of 19.30 seconds.

Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles won the silver and Shawn Crawford of the US the bronze after his compatriot Wallace Spearmon was disqualified for running out of lane.

Bolt became the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win an Olympic sprint double.

“I feel good. I have just proved to the world I am a true champion and with hard work anything is possible,” Bolt said.

He accelerated off his blocks in a perfect start and within 20m had tracked down Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai on his outside.

As he hit the final bend, Bolt was a meter up on Crawford on his inside and he entered the final straight looking majestic, launching his lithe 1.96m frame well clear of the field.

There was no easing up in the final 10m, as he had done in the 100m, the Jamaican dipping fiercely at the line with clenched teeth.

After crossing the finish line and raising his arms in celebration, Bolt grabbed a Jamaican flag and draped it around his neck. He took off his golden shoes and began an impromptu celebration dance.

Bolt, whose father says owes his speed and power to the local yam vegetable, had already won the showpiece 100m in swashbuckling style in the Bird’s Nest.

Bolt, who turns 22 today, has established himself as the joint hero of the Games along with American swimmer Michael Phelps who took an unprecedented eight golds.

The lanky runner started sprinting only when a school cricket coach noticed his speed as a fast bowler.

Meanwhile, Aksana Miankova of Belarus won gold in the women’s hammer yesterday with her penultimate throw of 76.34m pushing Cuba’s Yipsi Moreno into second place.

Moreno, also silver medalist in Athens four years ago, responded with 75.20m on her final throw but that was not enough to dislodge Miankova.

China’s Zhang Wenxiu took bronze with 74.32m to add to her third place in the world championships.

“My technique isn’t good enough, and I felt a little nervous because all the top 12 throwers are world-class athletes,” Zhang said.

“But I just thought, I’m only competing against myself. I don’t care how the others are doing. I jut tried my best, and that was enough. I felt a little sorry. If I could have done better, I’d have maybe got a silver,” she said.

Darya Pchelnik of Belarus missed out on the podium with her 73.65 only good enough for fourth place.

Melaine Walker of Jamaica won the gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles in an Olympic record time.

Walker won in 52.64 seconds with Sheena Tosta of the US taking silver in 53.70 and Tasha Danvers of Britain third in 53.84

Defending champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia eased his way into the men’s 800m semi-finals along with Sudanese favorite Abubaker Kaki.

Borzakovskiy finished second in his heat just behind 2006 indoor world champion Wilfred Bungei of Kenya, who recorded the fastest time of the heats with a season’s best of 1minute 44.90seconds.

The 19-year-old Kaki won his heat in 1min 46.98.

The Sudanese athlete was the form 800m runner coming into Beijing, having run from the front to win both the world junior championships and world indoor championships titles this year.

Other big names into today’s semi-finals, who could challenge for medals in Saturday night’s final, include 2004 silver medalist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi from South Africa and Kenya’s reigning world champion Alfred Yego.

Nick Symmonds of the US was made to work hard to win heat four when he had to sprint home to hold off the challenge of Yego.

A near casualty was Canada’s Gary Reed, who claimed silver behind Yego in Osaka last year, who squeezed through as one of the eight fastest losers.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele ocruised into the final of the men’s 5,000m to keep his bid for an elusive long-distance running double on course.

Bekele finished third in his heat and advanced to tomorrow’s final where he will seek to emulate the 5,000m/10,000m double last achieved by compatriot Miruts Yifter in the 1980 Moscow Games.

American Matthew Tegenkamp was a surprise winner of the first heat, winning the race to the line in a five-man sprint to clock 13:37.36.
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