Returning to the track two days after establishing a new Olympic record in the 100 meters, Bolt advanced to the semifinal in the 200 meters, finishing 1st in his Round 1 heat without seeming to exert much effort. Having already joined Carl Lewis as the only man to win consecutive gold medals in the 100, Bolt is looking to become the first ever to pull off the feat in the 200.
The 25-year-old Jamaican track star, covered the distance in 20.39 seconds, easily defeating a field composed of eight other runners who had never gotten under 20 seconds in this event. Also clinching spots in the semifinal from Bolt's heat were Aldemir da Silva Junior of Brazil (20.53) who finished second and Isiah Young of the United States who crossed the line third (20.55). Bolt holds the world record (19.19 set in Berlin 2009) and the Olympic record (19.30 in Beijing 2008) in the 200 meters. After capturing gold in the 100 on Sunday night, Bolt let everyone know -- including countryman and competitor Yohan Blake -- that he is confident he would soon also be holding a gold medal in this event.
