Usain Bolt retains his 200m title at the World Championships

• Jamaican storms to victory in time of 19.40sec
• Bolt records fourth fastest 200m race ever run

• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 September 2011 13.31 BST

Usain Bolt celebrates winning the 200m in Daegu. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

 

Jamaican Usain Bolt blazed to the 200m title at the world championships on Saturday in 19.40 seconds to confirm his reputation as the king of sprinters.

 

Bolt lost his 100m title to young understudy Yohan Blake last weekend after being disqualified for a false start in the final and was in no mood to give up the gold in his favourite event. Bolt powered home ahead of American Walter Dix while Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre took the bronze.

"I am still the best," Bolt told an elated crowd of about 45,000 at Daegu Stadium before starting a barefoot dance to a deafening beat. "It was beautiful."

The world record holder burst from the blocks and ate up the ground on Dix on his outside in a matter of strides. Moving up through the gears around the bend, Bolt emerged at the top of the home straight with the race in the bag but pushed himself hard to the line to make sure there would be no more mistakes.

The 25-year-old double Olympic champion has not been at his peak this season, struggling to regain top form following a back injury that ended his 2010 season prematurely.

However, the great showman was at his imperious best on the penultimate day of competition in Daegu and could still leave South Korea with two gold medals with the 4x100m relay to come on Sunday.

Dix, who also won silver in the 100m after taking bronzes over the 100 and 200 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, told Eurosport television he was happy with the race but still had some things he could work on. "In Beijing I got two bronzes, I have now got two silvers, next year gold," he said in a reference to the London Olympics.

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