Bolt wins third straight Olympic 100m gold
Xinhua, August 15, 2016 Adjust font size:
Usain Bolt stormed to victory in the 100m final at the Rio Olympics on Sunday, becoming the first man to win the blue riband event three times in a row.
The 29-year-old Jamaican clocked 9.81 seconds, beating rival Justin Gatlin of the United States by eight hundredths of a second at the Olympic Stadium. Canada's Andre de Grasse took bronze in 9.91.
Bolt's fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake was fourth in 9.93 and Akani Simbine was fifth in 9.94.
It was the seventh Olympic gold medal of Bolt's career as he confirmed his status as the greatest sprinter in history.
The result kept intact Bolt's hopes of being the first man to achieve an unprecedented triple-triple: three successive Olympic gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Bolt enjoyed overwhelming support from the capacity crowd while his long-time rival Gatlin was roundly jeered.
Bolt beat Gatlin by one-hundredth of a second at the World Championships in Beijing last year.
The 34-year-old American won the 100m gold medal at the Athens 2004 Games but later served a four-year ban for doping. Endit