Bolt sprints to Olympic 200m semis finals

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Bolt sprints to Olympic 200m semis finals

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It's my first 200m run. I was taking it as easy as possible, said Bolt.

07 August,2012 06:15 pm

For Usain Bolt, there are bigger things to come. For some of the runners lucky or unlucky enough to race against him in 200-meter qualifying Tuesday, this was the highlight of the Olympics.Bolt opened defense of his 200-meter title with a stress-free first-round heat of 20.39 seconds, a race in which he powered to the lead early, then eased up to a jog over the final 80 meters.I was taking it as easy as possible. Its my first (200) run. Im looking forward to tomorrow, said Bolt, who runs in the semifinals Wednesday as he tries to become the only man with two Olympic titles in the 200.The final is Thursday.The first round was a predictably nonchalant moment for The Worlds Fastest Man, though it held more significance for Isiah Young of the United States, the runner who lined up next to him in the days first heat.It was different. Hes more experienced, said Young, the 22-year-old who finished third to advance to the semifinals. He knows how to get through this round. I dont think he was all-out at all. I think he was in cruise control.Of course he was.Bolt returned to the track a bit more than 12 hours after jumping onto the medal stand to receive the 100-meter gold in a ceremony Monday night.He had tweeted a picture of himself with three Swedish handball players from the early morning hours after his win and explained it Tuesday by saying, They wanted pictures.We chilled.No big deal. And now its back to business, as he switches gears from a race thats about straight-line speed to the longer, more technical race that hes always considered his favorite.Im used to the corner, so it came back pretty easily, said Bolt, who has conceded he worked more on the start in the 100 this season than the corner in the 200.Just looking forward to the next round and to test myself on the corner. Im feeling good, but my first round, for some reason, Im always tired.Also easing into the next round was Bolts training partner, Yohan Blake, who won his heat in 20.38. While Bolt holds the world record of 19.19, its Blake with the second-fastest time 19.26 that cannot be ignored.Im feeling good, Blake said. Ive trained for this. Thats why they call me The Beast.The third Jamaican, Warren Weir, finished his race in 20.29, 0.01 slower than the mornings fastest time, posted by Ecuadors Alex Quinonez.Also advancing was a pair of runners who finished second and third to Bolt at the last Olympics but didnt get medals to show for it. Churandy Martina of the Netherlands and Wallace Spearmon of the United States both were disqualified for running out of their lanes in Beijing.Martina won Heat 7 in 20.58 seconds, while Spearmon had to work to finish second behind Quinonez in Heat 6 in 20.47, then complained that he had trouble running in Lane 2.Its too tight. Definitely too tight, Spearmon said. I didnt like it. I dont want to go back there again.Spearmon, like everyone else, has been keeping a close watch on Bolt.Hes in shape, Spearmon said. Hes healthy again.That was no sure thing after Bolts back-to-back losses to Blake at Jamaicas Olympic trials five weeks ago setbacks in the 100 and 200 that injected a large dose of uncertainty into the leadup to these Olympics.Bolt set the track world back on its axis Sunday night with his 9.63-second run for the gold, the second-fastest 100 in history.Blake, however, isnt conceding the next big race.The track is fast. Usain is really fast. But Im in great shape, Blake said. Anything is possible.