Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin again at world championships, gets record 10th gold medal

BEIJING, China – When time came for Usain Bolt to celebrate a record 10th world championship title, a clumsy cameraman got a little too close for comfort.

A man riding a two-wheel vehicle and holding a video camera upended Bolt in the excitement of the celebrations of his 200-meter victory on Thursday, losing control after hitting a metal rail on the side of the track and barging into Bolt from behind.

Bolt tumbled to the ground, flipped over to get back on his feet and then briefly held his left leg. He then walked back to the cameraman to make sure he was OK, too.

Plenty of excitement after yet another exciting race on the track at the Bird’s Nest.

Bolt held on to beat Justin Gatlin in a tight race down the finishing straight. Looking left and failing to see any red from Gatlin’s jersey, Bolt lifted both arms and punched his thumbs into his chest to show once again he is the greatest sprinter of all time.

“There was no doubt,” Bolt said after winning his fourth 200 world title in a row to add to two Olympic titles. “I told you guys that I would do it.”

With a time of 19.55 seconds, Bolt set the best time of the season. And despite slowing down, he still beat Gatlin by .19 — much more than the .01 second edge Bolt had in Sunday’s 100 final.

Even if Gatlin ran a good bend on Thursday, Bolt’s was better and the Jamaican was clear coming into the finishing straight. His huge stride has made the difference throughout his career, and it was on full display again. With 20 metres to go, he eased up and started the theatrics as the Bolt of old ran through the line.

He capped it with his trademark “Lightning Bolt” pose. After two years of doubt and worries that age had started to affect the bearded champion at 29, he again displayed the wide grin of a teenager.

Bolt is now 2-0 in Beijing against Gatlin, who had been unbeaten in two seasons, with only the 4×100 relay to come on Saturday.

Once he sat down to savour his victory on a trackside chair, Gatlin came over to congratulate Bolt and the two rivals shook hands and chatted.

Seven years ago, Bolt started his amazing run of gold at the Beijing Olympics and has not lost a major 200 race since. The Jamaican, however, had been struggling with injury since winning his third straight 200 title at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

Behind Gatlin, Anaso Jobodwana won bronze with a South African record of 19.87.

In the absence of gold from Gatlin, triple jumper Christian Taylor and Allyson Felix made up for it for the United States, both with superlative performances.

Taylor produced the second-best triple jump of all time with a leap of 18.21 metres on his final attempt to pad his lead over rival Pablo Pichardo of Cuba.

The 2012 Olympic gold medallist and 2011 world champion has been in a duel all season with Pichardo, with both clearing the 18-meter mark in the last two months to raise the prospect of the world record falling in Beijing.

In the end, Taylor narrowly missed the 18.29 world record which Jonathan Edwards set at the world championships in Gothenburg in 1995. Pichardo took silver at 17.73.

In the race preceding the men’s 200, Felix won her first gold medal in the 400 metres and ever so briefly matched Bolt’s record of nine golds in the world championships. A few minutes later, Bolt pulled away again with his 10th.