Bolt Posts Year’s Top 200 Meters Time

Usain Bolt is considered the favorite to win the Olympic sprint double, or the 100 and 200 meters.

The Jamaican sprinter yesterday set the year’s fastest time in the 200 meters with 19.67 seconds in Athens at the IAAF World Athletics Tour, 0.69 seconds apart from runner-up Brendan Christian of Antigua.

Bolt’s time was also a career best and the sixth fastest in history. His previous record in the 200 meters was 19.75 seconds set in June last year.

Last month, he broke the world 100-meter record with 9.72 seconds. Barring a collapse, Bolt is likely to win the sprint double this year in the Beijing Olympics.

Not so well is his rival Tyson Gay of the United States. Gay failed to make the cut in the 200 meters due to pain in his left thigh and had to be carried off the track.

Gay has the second-fastest time of 19.62 seconds in the 200 meters. Last year in the world championships in Osaka, he won the gold with 19.76 seconds, beating runner-up Bolt (19.91).

Thus, the two will compete in the 100 meters only.

Only eight runners have won the sprint double, including Americans Jesse Owens in 1936 and Carl Lewis in 1984.

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