Usain Bolt won his third olympic gold in the 100m, becoming the first to do so and the second oldest 100m champion ever (he's 29, Lindie Christie was 32 when he won back in 1992). There was much speculation that Bolt would struggle because of the hamstring injury he sustained in the Olympic Trials. He told the world that he would not be competing in the 100m and that he was doubtful for the 200m. It didn't help that in the first round he seemed to be slightly lacking in speed. Still, he ended up with the best time in the semifinals and proved his dominance once again in the final.

Bolt's Injury

Bolt's attempt for more gold medals was possibly the second biggest news story in the 2016 Summer Olympics behind Michael Phelps' last Olympics. However, many panicked as news about Bolt's injury broke out. Justin Gatlin was looking as the main man to challenge Bolt, and as a result he became the favorite. In fact, he withdrew from the competition for a while before announcing his decision to stay in mid July. Still, everyone was unsure of how fit he would be come race time.

There was little to no information given about him leading up the event. Nobody knew how well he was progressing or how hurt he really was. It was all a mystery that would be solved earlier today in the qualifying rounds.

The Final Race

After the first round, where Bolt placed fourth behind Gatlin, Ben Youssef Meïté, and Andre De Grasse with a time of 10.07 seconds, and getting the best time in the semifinals with one of 9.86 seconds, nobody was sure which Bolt they would see. Maybe he was taking it easy in the first round, knowing he'd move on, or he would feel the wear after the semifinal as he would have to race again just an hour later.

This is about the time that Usain Bolt realized he had the race in the bag, celebrating early by pumping his chest like always. Photo Credit: Jack Gruber/USA TODAY.
This is about the time that Usain Bolt realized he had the race in the bag, celebrating early by pumping his chest like always. Photo Credit: Jack Gruber/USA TODAY.

In customary Bolt fashion, he did anything but bolt out of the gate . He was the second slowest at the beginning and had to paly catch up the rest of the way, something that has become normal for the fastest man alive. Bolt slowly caught up and only had Gatlin to beat. Bolt somehow breezed by him, and had so much time to spare that he slowed down and started celebrating, knowing he just won his seventh gold medal. De Grasse was able to catch up to Gatlin, but couldn't quite make it.

Aftermath

Bolt is still running the 200m and the 4X100 relay. Those races will take place this Thursday at 8:30 PM Central Time and Friday at 8:35 PM Central Time, respectively. Gatlin will also be participating in those races and will try to get revenge and stop Bolt's quest for nine total gold medals.

If you would like to check out an article about Bolt and Gatlin making it into the semifinals, click here.

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About the author
Youssef Machkhas
I am currently a Junior at Rice University in Houston, TX majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Business. I know, not what you would normally think of for a sports writer. But I have always been an avid sports fan especially of basketball and football. I am a die hard Rockets and Texans fan even with the heartbreak they tend to put me through. Outside of sports, I am a huge music fan; I even rap in my free time. If you want to check my music, then here's a link! https://soundcloud.com/user-649030737