Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres

Last updated

Contents

Men's 200 metres
at the Games of the XXX Olympiad
Usain Bolt 2012 Olympics 2.jpg
Usain Bolt
Venue Olympic Stadium
Dates7–9 August
Competitors54 from 40 nations
Winning time19.32
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Usain Bolt
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
Silver medal icon.svg Yohan Blake
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
Bronze medal icon.svg Warren Weir
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
  2008
2016  
Official video TV-icon-2.svg
Official video

The men's 200 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom was held at the Olympic Stadium on 7–9 August. [1] There were 54 competitors from 40 nations. [2] The event was won by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the first man to repeat as champion in the 200 metres. His teammates Yohan Blake (silver) and Warren Weir (bronze) completed the medal sweep; it was the seventh sweep in the men's 200 metres and the first by a nation other than the United States. Bolt's gold medal was Jamaica's third in the event, moving out of a tie with Canada and Italy for second-most overall (behind the United States' 17 wins).

This was only the fourth time that the United States failed to win a medal in the men's 200 metres, Wallace Spearmon finishing fourth with a time of 19.90, 0.06 seconds outside of a medal placing (the others being the 1928 Olympics, the 1980 Olympics in Moscow which the country boycotted, and the 2000 Olympics).

Background

This was the 26th appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Olympics in 1896 but has been on the program ever since. Two of the eight finalists from the 2008 Games returned: gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica, fifth-place finisher Christian Malcolm of Great Britain, and the two men who had finished second and third but been disqualified for stepping out of their lanes: Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the United States. Bolt, in addition to being reigning Olympic champion, had won the 2009 and 2011 World Championships.

Bolt was looking to do something no man had done before: repeat as 200 metres Olympic champion. Jesse Owens ran afoul of harsh amateurism rules after his 1936 win (and would have lost any opportunity to repeat with the outbreak of World War II in any case); Andy Stanfield lost by 0.22 seconds in 1956 after winning in 1952; Pietro Mennea made the final four times and came away with a gold and a bronze; Carl Lewis lost by 0.04 seconds in 1988 after winning in 1984; food poisoning robbed Michael Johnson of his first opportunity in 1992 before he won in 1996; Bolt himself had made Shawn Crawford the third gold-silver winner by beating him in 2008. He was a heavy favorite in the event; countryman Yohan Blake was his biggest challenger, but Bolt had beaten Blake to repeat as 100 metres champion earlier in London and was considered stronger in the 200 metres. The United States, which had the winner in 5 of the last 7 appearances of the event, had no strong runner to challenge Bolt. [2]

For the first time, no nations made their debut in the event. The United States made its 25th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Summary

The semifinal round showed all three Jamaican athletes were the class of the field. In heat one, Yohan Blake had a huge lead and relaxed down the straightaway, almost too much as Wallace Spearmon and Christophe Lemaitre raced to the line behind him in the fastest heat of the day. Usain Bolt dominated the second heat, jogging and looking around for non-existent challengers down the straight. And in heat three, Warren Weir was running easily, easing up at the finish to let Churandy Martina take the first spot, knowing he had qualified in the second position. Slowest qualifier Álex Quiñónez, racing hard for his 20.37, was on the opposite side of a clear dividing line in the field.

In the final, Bolt, who was in lane 7, moved past his Jamaican teammate Weir after only 50 metres; coming off the bend and onto the final 100-metre straight, Bolt's lead over the rest of the field had grown to several metres, however Blake began to pull him back. Due to the lead he had built in the first 120 meters, it was Bolt who crossed the line first in a time of 19.32, already easing off before the line. In doing so, he became the first man in history to do the "double double" – winning both the 100 and 200 metres twice, back to back (he would later break this record by winning the 4 × 100 m relay and completing the Double Triple, at the same Olympics). Blake took the silver medal, as he had done in the 100 metres final, again behind Bolt. His time was the fastest ever time to not win a gold medal. Weir completed the 1–2–3 sweep for the Jamaicans by winning the bronze medal, the second time in any international competition that Jamaica has achieved this (after the women did it in the 2008 100 metres). [3]

Bolt's time of 19.32 was coincidentally the time he had beaten when he first broke the 200 metres world record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, set by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 200 metres. [4]

As of December 2023, Blake's time of 19.44 seconds remains the fastest non-winning time in history.

Qualification

A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter up to 3 qualified athletes in the men's 200 metres event if all athletes met the A standard, or 1 athlete if they met the B standard. The qualifying time standards could be obtained in various meets during the qualifying period that had the approval of the IAAF. For the sprints and short hurdles, including the 200 metres, only outdoor meets were eligible. The A standard for the 2012 men's 200 metres was 20.55 seconds; the B standard was 20.65 seconds. The qualifying period for was from 1 May 2011 to 8 July 2012. NOCs could also have an athlete enter the 200 metres through a universality place. NOCs could enter one male athlete in an athletics event, regardless of time, if they had no male athletes meeting the qualifying A or B standards in any men's athletic event. [5] [6] [7]

Competition format

For the first time since 1920 established a four-round competition, the number of rounds was changed. The 2012 competition had only three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals and a final. The "fastest loser" system introduced in 1960 was used in the semifinals for the first time, as the number of semifinals increased from 2 to 3. [2] [8]

There were 7 quarterfinals of 7 or 8 runners each, with the top 3 men in each as well as the next 3 fastest overall advancing to the semifinals. There were 3 semifinals, each with 8 runners. The top 2 athletes in each semifinal and the next 2 overall advanced. The final had 8 runners. The races were run on a 400 metre track. [2] [8]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing global records were as follows:

Global records before the 2012 Summer Olympics
RecordAthlete (Nation)Time (s)LocationDate
World record Flag of Jamaica.svg  Usain Bolt  (JAM)19.19 Berlin, Germany20 August 2009
Olympic record Flag of Jamaica.svg  Usain Bolt  (JAM)19.30 Beijing, China20 August 2008
World leadingFlag of Jamaica.svg  Yohan Blake  (JAM)19.80 [9] Kingston, Jamaica1 July 2012

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition. The following new national records were set during the competition.

NationAthleteTime
Swaziland national record Sibusiso Matsenjwa 20.93
Ecuador national record Álex Quiñónez 20.28

Schedule

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

DateTimeRound
Tuesday, 7 August 201211:50Quarterfinals
Wednesday, 8 August 201220:10Semifinals
Thursday, 9 August 201220:55Final

Results

Official Video of the First Round TV-icon-2.svg
Official Video of the First Round

Quarterfinals

Qual. rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 3 fastest times (q) qualified. [10]

Quarterfinal 1

Usain Bolt after his heat Usain BoltLondon2012.jpg
Usain Bolt after his heat
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Usain Bolt Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.39Q
2 Aldemir da Silva Junior Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 20.53Q
3 Isiah Young Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.55Q
4 Alex Wilson Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 20.57q
5 Noah Akwu Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 20.67
6 Michael Herrera Flag of Cuba (3-2).svg  Cuba 21.05
7 Vyacheslav Muravyev Flag of Kazakhstan (3-2).svg  Kazakhstan 21.75
8 Jidou El Moctar Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg  Mauritania 22.94PB

Quarterfinal 2

Christophe Lemaitre before his heat Christophe Lemaitre London 2012 200m Q.jpg
Christophe Lemaitre before his heat
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Christophe Lemaitre Flag of France.svg  France 20.34Q
2 Anaso Jobodwana Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 20.46Q
3 Aaron Brown Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.55Q, PB
4 Likoúrgos-Stéfanos Tsákonas Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 20.56q
5 Rondel Sorrillo Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 20.76
6 Carlos Jorge Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 21.02
7 Cristián Reyes Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 21.29
8 Ibrahim Turay Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 21.90PB

Quarterfinal 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Maurice Mitchell Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.54Q
2 Christian Malcolm Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 20.59Q
3 Michael Mathieu Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas 20.62Q
4 Roberto Skyers Flag of Cuba (3-2).svg  Cuba 20.66
5 Shota Iizuka Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 20.81
6 Sibusiso Matsenjwa Flag of Swaziland.svg  Swaziland 20.93 NR
7 José Carlos Herrera Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 21.17
8 Joel Redhead Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada 21.22

Quarterfinal 4

Yohan Blake starts his heat London 2012 Yohan Blake 200m Q.jpg
Yohan Blake starts his heat
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Yohan Blake Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.38Q
2 Bruno de Barros Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 20.52Q
3 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 20.52Q
4 Serhiy Smelyk Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 20.65
5 Paul Hession Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg  Ireland 20.69
6 Xie Zhenye Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 20.69
7 Mosito Lehata Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 20.74

Quarterfinal 5

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Warren Weir Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.29Q
2 Antoine Adams Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis 20.59Q
3 Kamil Krynski Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 20.66Q
4 Pavel Maslák Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 20.67
5 Tremaine Harris Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.70
6 Marek Niit Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 20.82
7 Reto Schenkel Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 20.98
Alonso Edward Flag of Panama.svg  Panama DQR 162.7

Quarterfinal 6

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Álex Quiñónez Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 20.28Q, NR
2 Wallace Spearmon Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.47Q
3 Shinji Takahira Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 20.57Q
4 Brendan Christian Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 20.63q, SB
5 Jonathan Åstrand Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 20.73SB
6 Aziz Ouhadi Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 20.80
7 Sandro Viana Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 21.05
Ben Youssef Meité Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast DNS

Quarterfinal 7

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Churandy Martina Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 20.58Q
2 Kei Takase Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 20.72Q
3 Jared Connaughton Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.72Q
4 Amr Ibrahim Mostafa Seoud Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 20.81
5 Arnaldo Abrantes Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 20.88
6 James Ellington Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 21.23
7 Trevorvano Mackey Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas 21.28
8 Jean-Yves Esparon Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 21.99
Official Video of the Semifinal Round TV-icon-2.svg
Official Video of the Semifinal Round

Semifinals

Qual. rule: first 2 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified. [11]

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Yohan Blake Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.01Q
2 Wallace Spearmon Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.02Q
3 Christophe Lemaitre Flag of France.svg  France 20.03q
4 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 20.42
5 Likoúrgos-Stéfanos Tsákonas Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 20.52PB
6 Bruno de Barros Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 20.55
7 Jared Connaughton Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.64
8 Kei Takase Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 20.70

Semifinal 2

The start of the second semifinal 2012 Olympics - Mens 200m start.jpg
The start of the second semifinal
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Usain Bolt Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.18Q
2 Anaso Jobodwana Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 20.27Q, PB
3 Álex Quiñónez Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 20.37q
4 Aaron Brown Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.42PB
5 Aldemir da Silva Junior Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 20.63
6 Kamil Krynski Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 20.83
7 Alex Wilson Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 20.85
8 Isiah Young Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.89

Semifinal 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Churandy Martina Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 20.17Q
2 Warren Weir Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 20.28Q
3 Christian Malcolm Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain 20.51
4 Maurice Mitchell Flag of the United States.svg  United States 20.56
5 Brendan Christian Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 20.58SB
6 Shinji Takahira Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 20.77
Antoine Adams Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis DQR 163.3a
Michael Mathieu Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas DQR 162.7

Final

RankLaneAthleteNationTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg7 Usain Bolt Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 19.32WL, SB
Silver medal icon.svg4 Yohan Blake Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 19.44SB
Bronze medal icon.svg8 Warren Weir Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 19.84PB
46 Wallace Spearmon Flag of the United States.svg  United States 19.90SB
55 Churandy Martina Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 20.00
62 Christophe Lemaitre Flag of France.svg  France 20.19
73 Álex Quiñónez Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 20.57
89 Anaso Jobodwana Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 20.69
Wind: +0.4 m/s

References

  1. "Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics". Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "200 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. "Bolt Is First to Repeat as Winner of 100 and 200 Meters". New York Times. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  4. "Usain Bolt wins 200m to make Olympic athletics history". BBC Sport. 9 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  5. "QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXX OLYMPIAD" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  6. "Olympic Qualifying Procedures for Athletics". Telegraph. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  7. "Amended Qualifying Standards". IAAF. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Men's 200m". London 2012 Organising Committee. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  9. "Season Top Lists – Senior 2012 – 200 Metres men", World Athletics , 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. "Men's 200m results". London 2012 Organising Committee. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  11. "London 2012 200m men Results - Olympic athletics". Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.