Usain Bolt gets his double-double.Bolt led a Jamaican sweep of the 200 meters, matching the fourth fastest time ever, 19.32, identical to Michael Johnson's winning time in 1996. With the win, Bolt became the first man to sweep the 100 and 200 at consecutive Olympics. He was merely one stride ahead of training partner Yohan Blake (19.44) with fellow countryman Warren Weir, 22, well back for bronze (19.84). Not that it was in any doubt. Bolt eased up in the final meters and appeared to check the clock as he crossed the finish line, raising his eyebrows and putting an index finger to his lips. He then did pushups for good measure. He'll go for his sixth career Olympic gold medal in the 4x100 relay Saturday. Carl Lewis is the only sprinter with a greater collection of Olympic golds (nine).
William Hill has already released its odds for Bolt at the 2016 Olympics (when he'll be 29): 5/4 to win one gold. 6/4 to win two golds. 3/1 to win no golds. 16/1 to win three golds. Is Bolt the greatest track and field athlete of all time? That's up for debate. He's lacking the longevity of Lewis, Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi and four-time discus champ Al Oerter. Who's to say Bolt's 2016 Olympics won't mirror Michael Phelps' 2012 Games. The rest of the world's best sprinters are catching up (slowly, but they are faster compared to Beijing), and Blake, 22, now has four years to make up .12 seconds on Bolt in the 100 and 200.
Of note, American Wallace Spearmon was fourth in 19.90. It's the third time in Olympic history the U.S. has failed to medal in the event (not counting the 1980 boycott).
