Spoiler Alert: Details below contain results not yet shown on NBC.
Usain Bolt's mission to "legend" status is slow coming to reality as the sprinter advances to the 200-meter semifinals.
On Tuesday, Bolt competed in the first round of qualifiers for the 200-meter race. Accompanying him in the race were Team USA's Isiah Young, Brazil's Aldemir Da Silva Jr, and Cuba's Michael Herrera.
While Bolt competed in the first heat of round one, fellow Jamaicans dominated the other heats. Rival Yohan Blake competed in the fourth heat and advances to the semifinal with a time of 20.38 seconds while Warren Weir won the fifth heat with 20.29 seconds.
Weir's time beat Bolt's time, as the "legend" came in at 20.39.
The semifinals of the 200-meter race take place tomorrow, Aug. 8, at 3:10 p.m. EDT.
The three Jamaicans will each be in separate heats to advance to Thursday's final.
Bolt will once again be in the same track as Young and Da Silva Jr. Blake's competition will come in the form of American Wallace Spearmon and France's Christophe Lemaitre. For Weir, he'll have American Maurice Mitchell and Netherlands' Churandy Martina, all who have better personal best times compared to other racers.
The 200-meter race marks significant importance for both Bolt and the history of track and field, as no man has ever won two consecutive gold medals for the 200-meter. Bolt has made history winning back-to-back gold in the 100-meter race, tying American Carl Lewis, while breaking the Olympic record at the same time.
Although many already consider Bolt as the fastest sprinter alive, the Jamaican doesn't agree until he wins the 200-meter race.
"I can't say that. I think I have to wait until the 200 meters, and then my fans got to say, 'Yes, he is,' and the media's got to say, 'Yes he is.' I'm never going to say I'm the greatest until after my 200 meters," said Bolt, according to the Associated Press.
In Bolt previous 200-meter race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he broke the Olympic record for the fastest time with 19.30, but he will shatter the record further in Berlin 2009 with 19.19 seconds.
Usain Bolt's Olympic Track & Field Schedule:
200-Meter
Men's 200-meter Semifinals: August 8, 3:10 p.m. EDT
Men's 200-meter Final: August 9, 3:55 p.m. EDT
4x100-Meter Relay
Men's 4x100-meter Relay Round 1: - August 10, 2:45 p.m. EDT
Men's 4x100-meter Relay Final: - August 11, 4 p.m. EDT
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
