Or as the roar went around the stadium here Sunday night: UUUUU-SAIN! UUUUU-SAIN! UUUUU-SAIN!
The Bolt with the Jolt did it again, lightning striking at back-to-back Olympics, the defending and once again 100-metre champion, golden in Jamaican green, fastest man on the planet, not only burnishing his aura but setting an Olympic record — thereby beating himself in this marquee event.
Clearly, there is no one else who can beat him.
What everybody had been waiting for, 80,000 lucky ticket-holders in the seats here, was over in under 10 seconds, 41 strides — pending video-replay confirmation — for Bolt from start to finish. Time: 9.63.
Silver and a personal best 9.75 for Bolt’s training partner and compatriot and reigning world champion, Yohan Blake.
Bronze for American Justin Gatlin, also a PB 9.79.
Jamaica-Jamaica — on the eve of that small Caribbean island’s 50th anniversary of independence from Great Britain — and USA, with the third Jamaican, peroxide-goateed Asafa Powell, pulling up halfway down the track, and struggling to finish, last and the only entrant in this memorable sprint who failed to break the 10-second mark.
Afterwards, Bolt was Bolt, preening and pointing — resurrecting The Pose — getting down on his hands and knees to kiss the track, patting his own clean-shaven head, patting 21-year-old Blake’s cornrow braided head, grinning and gesticulating, the totally lovable ham. He embraced his posse in the stands, wrapped a Jamaican flag around his shoulders — the flag he carried during opening ceremonies — danced, played with the crowd, raised a No. 1 finger repeatedly and seemed loath to leave the stage.
It seems increasingly like Bolt had been bluffing, the way he arrived in London and told a press conference he was only 95 per cent after treatment for a nagging back ailment that had caused him to pull out of pre-Olympic European meets.
He may have deliberately tried to make himself look vulnerable, or at least less than invincible. The touts were placing him at no better than even-odds with Blake, who twice beat Bolt — 100 and 200 — in Olympic trials at home in June. And, of course, Blake assumed the world champion crown last year when Bolt faulted himself right out of the picture.
This, however, was vintage Bolt.
Even Bolt-ian ho-hum out of the blocks, staking the field of eight to a massive (in 100-metre terms) early deficit, starts always his bugaboo. Took 40 metres for Bolt to hit his distinct stride and then he smoked the rest, scorching down the stretch.
The showdown featured a bracket of tiffany sprinters, past and present champions from Olympics and worlds, perhaps the finest collection of block-busters ever assembled for one race.
Blake, given the nickname The Beast by Bolt, seemed content to play the role of princeling in the presence of a King. “I am the beast,’’ he’d said after the semifinal earlier in the day. “So I have to go back and stay focused for the final.’’
Focus was not the problem. Bolt’s imperious superiority is the fact.
“He is the fastest man in the world and I’ve got a silver medal,’’ Blake said when the final was done. “What more can I ask for?’’
Gold, of course.
“To be the second-fastest man in the world behind Bolt is an honour.’’
Bolt admitted he was concerned about his poor jump out of the blocks. “I was slightly worried about my start. I slipped a little in the blocks. I don’t have the best reactions, but I secured it and that’s the key.’’
He’d been advised to cease fretting about those starts because they’re not what define him.
“My coach told me to stop worrying about the story and concentrate on the end because that’s my best.’’
The crowd filled his showman’s heart.
“It was wonderful. I knew it was going to be like this. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind it was going to be like this.’’
About his countryman Blake, Bolt added: “He works harder than me, but I knew what I needed to do and I have great talent. He will do better next time because he was a little bit stressed this time.’’
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Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt defended his title as the world's fastest man Sunday, grabbing gold in the men's 100-meter race by setting an Olympic record with a time of 9.63.
Bolt, who became a household name with his gold medal win in the 2008 Beijing Games, is the first sprinter since U.S. Olympic legend Carl Lewis to defend an Olympic 100-meter title.
He overcame an unimpressive start to blow past the competition.
"My start wasn't too good but my coach always said to me I'm not a good starter, it's not worth worrying about," Bolt said after the race.
Yohan Blake, also of Jamaica, took the silver medal while Justin Gatlin of the United States won bronze. Both set new personal bests with 9.75 and 9.79 seconds, respectively.
Despite his impressive win, Bolt was looking ahead to his next race.
"It means one step towards being a legend, so I'm happy with myself, but it's only one step, I have the 200 meters to go," he said.
On the woman's side, Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States won the gold medal in the 400-meter dash. Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain took the silver and DeeDee Trotter of the United States won bronze.
Also on the track, double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who runs on special carbon fiber blades and is nicknamed The Blade Runner, failed to make the final in the men's individual 400-meter race. He came in nearly two seconds behind the leader in his semifinal heat.
Pistorius is the first person to compete in the able-bodied Olympics using prosthetic legs, and he will also compete in the Paralympics later this summer.
Earlier Sunday, Andy Murray cruised to a gold medal in the men's singles tennis final, beating Roger Federer in straight sets.
Three times prior, Murray had played Federer in an important final, and three times he had failed. In front of an enthusiastic home crowd, Murray flipped the script on the world's top-ranked player.
"I've had a lot of tough losses in my career, this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final," he told a BBC interviewer. "I was a little tired after Wimbledon, but I felt fresh on the court today."
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Olympic week in review Murray said he had expected a tough match from Federer, who just four weeks ago beat Murray for his seventh Wimbledon title on Centre Court, also the site of the Olympic final.
But after winning the first set 6-2, he broke Federer to take a 2-0 lead. He grew in confidence at that point, he said, and the rout was on.
He lost only five more games in the three-set match against the man who has won three of his 17 Grand Slam titles by beating Murray.
Just hours after his win, the Brit added to his medal count by taking silver in mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson. The pair narrowly lost to Belarus' Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka, 2-6, 6-3 , 10-8.
Also on Sunday, at the North Greenwich Arena where the gymnastics competition is being held, there was a stunning result in the women's vault.
After her first attempt, world champion McKayla Maroney looked like a sure gold medal winner. But her second vault turned into heartbreak as she did something she rarely does.
She came up short on her landing and fell.
"I'm really disappointed with myself," she said. "I fell on the second vault, and I don't think I've ever even fallen in warmup here at all. It's a big shock, and it's really sad."
Maroney, who had nailed her first effort and scored 15.866, received only a 14.300 on her second.
"I was praying there was still a chance, but I didn't make my vault,' she said, "and a gold medal vaulter doesn't deserve to fall."
She tried to look on the bright side.
"All I can look forward to is the next competition coming up, and I just have to accept that I have a silver medal and that's not too bad," she said.
Romania's Sandra Izbasa won the gold with a two-vault average of 15.191.
In the women's marathon, Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the gold in 2:23.07. Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya was the silver medalist, and Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova of Russia was third. The race kicked off under a heavy downpour as the runners snaked around wet London streets.
"It was a great race. I really loved it. The rain makes it very interesting," Gelana said. "I love running in the rain, I have been doing that since I was a small child. I slipped in the middle of the race, and my elbow is still injured. But I didn't feel any pain during the race."
Women's boxing made its Olympic debut Sunday with a round of 16 matches in each of the three weight divisions.
Overall, China leads the gold medal count with 30 and the total medal count with 61. The United States trails with 28 gold and 60 total.
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