Usain Bolt breaks 200m record

Wednesday, August 20: The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt ran into the history books today when he broke Michael Johnson's long-standing world record in winning the Olympic 200m title with a time of 19.30.

On the day before his 22nd birthday, the Jamaican sprinter led the field when he entered the home straight and surged ahead to leave his rivals more than half a second in his wake. Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles finished second and defending champion Shaun Crawford won bronze. American Wallace Spearman was disqualified for lane infringement.

Johnson, who had set his mark of 19.32 at the Atlanta Games in 1996, and was commentating for BBC TV, was astonished by 'Lightning' Bolt’s run. "Unbelievable. That was even better then the 100m because he used every single ounce of energy", he said.

FIRST POSTED AUGUST 20, 2008