The Legend: Bolt lit up Olympics again

Usain Bolt lived up to his determination last night by winning the gold medal in much-awaited 200m race by defeating the two fellow Jamaicans, Yohan Blake and Warren Weir who won the silver and bronze respectively.

As soon as he won, true to his style, he kissed the ground and performed a few push-ups while keeping Yohan Blake in waiting when the later wanted to hug him. It was a classic display of sportsmanship, despite being rivals on the pitch representing the same country; the warmth among the three players was palpable.

After winning the gold medal, Usain Bolt became the greatest sprinter ever to have won both 100m and 200m race at two consecutive Olympics. He achieved the feat by finishing the race in just 19.32 seconds.

Then he went on a moonlighting spree – crowd pleasing: at some point, he grabbed the camera of a photographer and started playing the role of cameraman; then he went on hugging spectators irrespective of who they really were; then, came his characteristic lightning bolt pose which turned the 80,000-strong crowd in the stadium ecstatic.

Just before start of the race, Bolt was seen joking with a line girl, the gesture that left her struggling to keep a straight face.

During the last phase of the race, he was so sure of his place – at the Olympics and history, of course – which he almost stopped running and turned it into a form of jogging.

The excellent performance shown by the three athletes from the same developing country has the potential to inspire generations of athletes across the globe by leaving no room to make the familiar excuse – the lack of funding or resources. They showed how collective determination defies the hypothetical hurdles when the focus is on the result, not the fame or corresponding material gains.

Moreover, the three athletes demolished the myth that sportsmanship cannot co-exist with the desire for the individual success.

- Asian Tribune -