Usain Bolt made history yet again, winning his third consecutive Olympics Men’s 100m gold medal, running away from the field at Rio 2016
Usain Bolt made history at London 2012 by becoming the first Olympics track and field athlete to win the Men’s 100m in consecutive Games. On Sunday during Day 9 of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bolt had the opportunity to write his name in history. He again made it to the finals of the race in Rio and was looking to become the first to win gold in three straight Olympics.
After obliterating the competition (and smiling at them while looking back in the process) in his semifinal race, Usain Bolt was in Lane 6 for the Men’s 100m final. He was obviously favored in this race as the fastest man alive, but American Justin Gatlin loomed as his biggest competition and threat to him making history.
Off of the blocks, Usain Bolt was back with the field while Gatlin jumped out ahead. As we’ve seen him do so many times before, though, he has the fastest closing speed in the world. He tracked down Gatlin like it was just another 100m stroll and crossed the finish line 9.80 seconds. While it wasn’t a world record, it was still a historic night.
As stated, Bolt became the first man ever to win the gold medal in three consecutive gold medals in the Olympics Men’s 100m. To put into perspective just how crazy that is, no man had ever medaled in the Men’s 100m at three-straight Olympic Games before Sunday night. Bolt obviously put himself in that stratosphere. However, he was actually joined by Gatlin, who also medaled in his third consecutive Olympics.
This is probably it for the peak of Usain Bolt. But even if he’s the fastest man in the world, those watching will never forget the incredible 28-29 seconds he spent winning his gold medals in the Men’s 100m at the Olympics.