LONDON -- Pulling away from the pack with every long stride, Usain Bolt crossed the finish line and wagged his right index finger.
Yes, he's still No. 1 in the 100-meter dash. Maybe not better than ever, but Bolt is definitely back.
Only sixth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark Sunday night, Bolt erased that deficit and overwhelmed a star-studded field to win in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold medals in the marquee track event at the Summer Games.
"Means a lot, because a lot of people were doubting me. A lot of people were saying I wasn't going to win, I didn't look good. There was a lot of talk," Bolt said. "It's an even greater feeling to come out here and defend my title and show the world I'm still No. 1, I'm still the best."
Ever the showman, the Jamaican kept right on running for a victory lap that included high-fives for front-row fans, a pause to crouch down and kiss the track and even a somersault. Thousands in the crowd chanted the champion's name: "Usain! Usain! Usain!"
"I've said it over the years, that when it comes to the championships, this is what I do," Bolt said. "It's all about business for me."
Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. took the bronze in 9.79.
"It just feels good to be back," said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive testosterone.
U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, a past world champion, cried inconsolably after ending up fourth in a time (9.80) that would have been good enough to win every Olympic 100 gold medal other than the past two.
Everyone in the final broke 10 seconds except former world-record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica, who pulled up with a groin injury.
WOMEN'S 400 METERS: Four years after a late fade left her crying and wearing the Olympic bronze medal, Sanya Richards-Ross won the 400-meter gold she always thought she could. She surged to the finish, won by about a body's length and punched her fist when she crossed the line in 49.55 seconds to give the U.S. its first track and field gold medal of the London Olympics. Defending champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain finished second in 49.70 and American DeeDee Trotter, decked out in red, white and blue glitter on her face, won the bronze in 49.72.
MEN'S 400 METERS: Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius failed to reach the Olympic final, following a bad start with a slow race and finishing last in his semifinal heat. The first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics never stood a chance after his slow start and finished the race on his fiber carbon blades in 46.54 seconds, .95 of a second behind winner Kirani James of Grenada.
WOMEN'S TRIPLE JUMP:
Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan won the gold medal. The 2011 world championship silver medalist took the lead with the third of her six attempts, setting a mark of 14.98 meters. Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia momentarily held the lead in the third round but needed a jump of 14.80 on her final attempt to get the silver medal. Reigning world champion Olha Saladuha of Ukraine finished in third place with a jump of 14.79 on her last attempt.
More Details: Picking up speed
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt set an Olympic record in the 100-meter dash Sunday, breaking the mark he set in 2008. Here are Bolt’s times in the Olympic 100 meters he has run:
2008 round 1
2008 quarters
2008 semis
2008 final
2012 round 1
2012 semis
2012 final
More Details: Two for the show
Only two men have won the 100-meter dash twice in the Olympics:
Carl Lewis
Lewis struck gold four times in 1984 while posting a 9.99-second mark in the 100-meter final in Los Angeles. Four years later, in Seoul, South Korea, Lewis’ 9.92-second mark was good for gold and an Olympic record.
Usain Bolt
Bolt’s world-record time of 9.69 seconds in 2008 in Beijing was a full two-tenths of a second faster than the runner-up. On Sunday, Bolt only beat the field by .12 second, while still setting an Olympic record.
Yes, he's still No. 1 in the 100-meter dash. Maybe not better than ever, but Bolt is definitely back.
Only sixth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark Sunday night, Bolt erased that deficit and overwhelmed a star-studded field to win in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold medals in the marquee track event at the Summer Games.
"Means a lot, because a lot of people were doubting me. A lot of people were saying I wasn't going to win, I didn't look good. There was a lot of talk," Bolt said. "It's an even greater feeling to come out here and defend my title and show the world I'm still No. 1, I'm still the best."
Ever the showman, the Jamaican kept right on running for a victory lap that included high-fives for front-row fans, a pause to crouch down and kiss the track and even a somersault. Thousands in the crowd chanted the champion's name: "Usain! Usain! Usain!"
"I've said it over the years, that when it comes to the championships, this is what I do," Bolt said. "It's all about business for me."
Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. took the bronze in 9.79.
"It just feels good to be back," said Gatlin, who served a four-year ban after testing positive for excessive testosterone.
U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, a past world champion, cried inconsolably after ending up fourth in a time (9.80) that would have been good enough to win every Olympic 100 gold medal other than the past two.
Everyone in the final broke 10 seconds except former world-record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica, who pulled up with a groin injury.
WOMEN'S 400 METERS: Four years after a late fade left her crying and wearing the Olympic bronze medal, Sanya Richards-Ross won the 400-meter gold she always thought she could. She surged to the finish, won by about a body's length and punched her fist when she crossed the line in 49.55 seconds to give the U.S. its first track and field gold medal of the London Olympics. Defending champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain finished second in 49.70 and American DeeDee Trotter, decked out in red, white and blue glitter on her face, won the bronze in 49.72.
MEN'S 400 METERS: Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius failed to reach the Olympic final, following a bad start with a slow race and finishing last in his semifinal heat. The first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics never stood a chance after his slow start and finished the race on his fiber carbon blades in 46.54 seconds, .95 of a second behind winner Kirani James of Grenada.
WOMEN'S TRIPLE JUMP:
Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan won the gold medal. The 2011 world championship silver medalist took the lead with the third of her six attempts, setting a mark of 14.98 meters. Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia momentarily held the lead in the third round but needed a jump of 14.80 on her final attempt to get the silver medal. Reigning world champion Olha Saladuha of Ukraine finished in third place with a jump of 14.79 on her last attempt.
More Details: Picking up speed
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt set an Olympic record in the 100-meter dash Sunday, breaking the mark he set in 2008. Here are Bolt’s times in the Olympic 100 meters he has run:
2008 round 1
2008 quarters
2008 semis
2008 final
2012 round 1
2012 semis
2012 final
More Details: Two for the show
Only two men have won the 100-meter dash twice in the Olympics:
Carl Lewis
Lewis struck gold four times in 1984 while posting a 9.99-second mark in the 100-meter final in Los Angeles. Four years later, in Seoul, South Korea, Lewis’ 9.92-second mark was good for gold and an Olympic record.
Usain Bolt
Bolt’s world-record time of 9.69 seconds in 2008 in Beijing was a full two-tenths of a second faster than the runner-up. On Sunday, Bolt only beat the field by .12 second, while still setting an Olympic record.