The 200m sprint is another running event that makes the Tokyo Olympics special. It’s a different kind of race that tests runners differently. It isn’t all about sprint abilities like you’ll find in 100m races and it isn’t just about endurance as you’ll find in the 400m and 800m races. It’s about the perfect combination of sprinting ability and endurance.
In 200m races, runners have to rely on anaerobic energy to get the best from their bodies. Betway sat down with Andre de Grasse, the Canadian Sprinter who competed in his second Olympics games at Tokyo to discuss what running a 200m race is like.
Although many runners from 100m races often try to participate in the 200m race, the list of runners who actually succeed in the double is a very small and exclusive list.
The legend of Usain Bolt
In the past few Olympic games (the last three games before Tokyo Olympics), one man dominated the 200m race. That man — Usain Bolt.
Bolt is the current world record holder for both 100m and 200m races. In the 2009 World Championships, he completed the 200m race in 19.19 seconds. But, his legend began in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
2008 Beijing Olympics
It was Bolt’s performance in Beijing that made that year’s Olympics memorable. The rest of the world watched as one man broke world records in both 100m and 200m races in the same competition.
Before Bolt’s win in the Beijing Olympics 200m event, no one had been able to secure a double since 1984 when the USA’s Carl Lewis achieved that feat. Still, Bolt did not look fazed by the challenge. His preliminary rounds victories looked simple enough, almost like he was jogging to victory. Confidence levels like that are hard to reach so more people started entertaining the possibility of Bolt being the favorite to win the race and complete a double for the first time in twenty years.
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On the sidelines, conversations were held on the possibility of a world record-breaking run by Bolt in the 200m race. Most people believed Bolt would do it, Michael Johnson — the current world record-holder at the time — didn’t.
None of that stopped Bolt. In the final event of the 200m race, Bolt completed the race in 19.30 seconds, surpassing Johnson’s 19.32 world record. He became a living legend already after the race but he did not settle there. The next two Olympic games in 2012 and 2016 were simply more chapters to be filled with Bolt’s legendary feats.
2012 London Olympics
When the 2012 London Olympics arrived, all eyes rested on Bolt. The fans, the pundits, the critics — everyone — wanted to watch him run. The race had not even begun yet and he was already being touted as the favorite to hit the double — 100m and 200m races.
On the final of the 200m men’s final in London, the arena seemed prepared for Bolt. When his name was introduced, the crowd showed their huge support. He was competing for the defense of his 2008 title with other 200m superstars like Yohan Blake of Jamaica and Spearmon of the USA.
Instinctively, Bolt took a deep breath and looked as confident as a man who knew what the outcome of the race would be. Silence descended upon the stadium, the athletes took their crouching positions with expectations standing taller than ever.
Only the commentator’s voice pierced through the thick garb of silence. The gun went off and 19.32 seconds later, Bolt became the first man to win consecutive gold medals in the 100m and 200m races at the Olympics.
On this date in 2016, Usain Bolt became the 1st man to win 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100 meter dash by winning the 100m final at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. pic.twitter.com/IQT38qiL3c
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 14, 2021
2016 Rio Olympics
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Bolt completed a triple gold tour for both 100m and 200m races. His gold medal in the 200 meters men’s final was his third consecutive one. Needless to say, Bolt is the first person to achieve this feat.
But the 200 meters race in 2016 brought more than Bolt’s victory. It was a sign of things to come. It was an exit of the old and an introduction of the new. In 2017, Bolt announced his retirement. Naturally, news like that caused speculation on who would dominate the 200 meters scene for the first time in ten years.
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2020 Tokyo Olympics: The new legend of De Grasse
Back in 2016, De Grasse finished second behind Bolt at the Rio Olympics. He was 21 at the time and was not quite as popular. As expected, his second-place feat was overshadowed by the historic achievement of Bolt.
But, his time was coming. The skill and execution he displayed in 2016 would have made an observant spectator certain that more would come. And, more did come.
On August 4, in a largely empty stadium in Tokyo, Andre De Grasse of Canada finished first in the men’s 200 meters final. He completed the race in 19.62 seconds and is now the eighth fastest man to have ever participated in the 200m sprint.
Despite numerous injury problems, De Grasse looks ready now to finally assume his throne as the best 200m runner in the world since Bolt retired.
Conclusion
The 200 meters race is no easy feat. Those who win it are legends and will continue to be remembered as such. The 200m race in the past two decades has now given us more legends to cherish and respect. Truly, the race of legends.
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