BEIJING — Running all by himself, free of the pack, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt took down one of the most respected world records in track and field today, breaking the 200-meter standard Michael Johnson set in the 1996 Olympics.
“I just blew my mind,” Bolt said, “and I blew the world’s mind.”
Bolt was timed in 19.30 seconds, .02 faster than Johnson’s mark. And this time, he ran hard through the finish, unlike Saturday night when he coasted the last 15 meters and still set a world record in the 100 meters.
Bolt became the first man to win the 100 and 200 in the same Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984. His winning margin of 0.66 was the largest ever in a men’s 200-meter Olympic final.
“I don’t compare myself a lot to other people, because I’m trying to be just me,” Bolt said in a postrace news conference. “Michael Johnson is a great athlete. He revolutionized the sport. I just changed it a little bit.”
Americans Shawn Crawford (19.96) and Walter Dix (19.98) took the silver and bronze medals after Churandy Martina of Dutch Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the U.S. were disqualified for lane violations. Crawford and Dix were in fourth and fifth before the disqualifications.
Johnson’s record had not been seriously challenged in the 12 years since the electrifying night in Atlanta when he set it. His mark was .3 of a second faster than the former No. 2 on the list, run by Tyson Gay last year.
Said Bolt: “It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to the country as well. (The prime minister) told me everything in Jamaica is blocked off, everybody is in the street.”
Bolt’s previous best was 19.67. He said this record meant more to him than the 100, because he already held that record, and also because the 200 is his favorite event.
“The 200 has been my love since I was 15,” said Bolt, who turns 22 on Thursday. “It’s dear to my heart.”
Asked what he was thinking when he watched a video replay of his race, he said: “I look cool. . . . That guy is fast!”
The .3 of a second that separates Bolt and Johnson from everyone else who has run the 200 may not seem like much, but it’s huge in sprinting.
“He’s just blessed with an uncanny brain, uncanny quickness, huge competitive heart,” former track star Renaldo Nehemiah said. “This track is built for speed. With his talent, it was only a matter of time.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
MEN’S SPRINTING RECORDS PROGRESSION
100 meters (since 1990)
9.69 – Usain Bolt, Jamaica, Aug. 16, 2008
9.72 – Usain Bolt, Jamaica, May 31, 2008
9.74 – Usafa Powell, Jamaica, Sept. 9, 2007
9.77 – Usafa Powell, Jamaica, June 14, 2005
9.79 – Maurice Greene, United States, June 16, 1999
9.84 – Donovan Bailey, Canada, July 27, 1996
9.85 – Leroy Burrell, United States, July 6, 1994
9.86 – Carl Lewis, United States, Aug. 25, 1991
9.90 – Leroy Burrell, United States, June 14, 1991
200 meters (since 1966)
19.30 – Usain Bolt, United States, Aug. 20, 2008
19.32 – Michael Johnson, United States, Aug. 1, 1996
19.66 – Michael Johnson, United States, June 23, 1996
19.72 – Pietro Mennea, Italy, Sept. 12, 1979
19.83 – Tommie Smith, United States, Oct. 16, 1968
20.00 – Tommie Smith, United States, June 11, 1966
