WHAT THE WORLD’S MEDIA HAD TO SAY ABOUT BOLT
ALASTAIR HIMMER — AGENCE FRANCE PRESS
Usain Bolt blazed to yet another sprint double by destroying American rival Justin Gatlin to retain his world 200 metres crown in Beijing yesterday.
The peerless Jamaican, who has now won gold in his favourite event at the last four world championships, clocked an electrifying time of 19.55 seconds with a jaw-dropping display at the Bird’s Next stadium, where he shot to fame at the 2008 Olympics.
His only scare came on his lap of honour where he was bizarrely run over by a Chinese cameraman trying to film while riding a Segway.
Once again, Bolt stole the headlines on a balmy evening in the Chinese capital with a truly staggering run, after drawing first blood in his rivalry with two-time doping offender Gatlin by winning the 100m last weekend.
Kissing his vest and patting his chest before the race, Bolt quickly blew past Gatlin coming into the bend, surging clear to win in a season-leading time. Gatlin took silver in 19.74 seconds.
FORMER WORLD AND OLYMPIC CHAMPION ON BBC TWO
“We have to give Bolt a lot of credit for running in the 100m and 200m — this is the most he has been challenged. We haven’t seen this type of showdown since Bolt came to prominence in 2008, but there’s no-one quite like him, not on the track and certainly not off the track.”
MARTHA KELNER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Justin Gatlin tried his best but in the end he could do nothing to stop Usain Bolt coasting to the World Championships gold medal in the 200 metres.
In fact, it would not be unfair to say there was more incident after the race to worry Bolt as he convincingly completed the sprint double over his arch-rival.
In the space of a few minutes while taking part in his lap of honour, an over-zealous fan jumped over a barrier to try to get a picture with Bolt. Security staff gave chase and tackled the culprit to the ground, before bundling him off the track and down a tunnel.
CHRISTOPHER CLAREY — New York Times
American sprinters like Justin Gatlin? Usain Bolt keeps beating them and then beating his chest, as he did in winning his latest gold medal, in the 200 metres at the world track and field championships.
But Bolt did eventually get taken down on the track on Thursday night.
While Bolt was taking his latest victory lap in the Bird’s Nest stadium with a Jamaican flag wrapped around his neck, a cameraman riding a Segway ran over a bolt — of all things — protruding from a trackside camera rail. That caused the vehicle to veer abruptly to the right and clip Bolt from behind.
Bolt, taken by surprise, fell backward, landing on the cameraman’s legs. He ended up flat on his back before doing a cautious back somersault to return to his bare feet.
“He took me out!” Bolt said later, uninjured and smiling. “The rumour I’m trying to start right now is that Justin Gatlin paid him off.”
Gatlin’s deadpan response: “I want my money back. He didn’t complete the job.”
