Usain Bolt booked his place in the final of the 200-meters -- and still had time to have a laugh on the finishing line before watching rival Justin Gatlin crash out.
Just minutes
after Bolt had cruised through the field before winding down in the
closing stages and sharing a smile with Canada's Andre De Grasse, Gatlin
was beaten in the final straight to end his hopes of gold.
Gatlin, who came second behind Bolt in
the 100-meters final, finished third in his heat, struggling home behind
Alonso Edward of Panama and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands.
The
34-year-old appeared to slow down prematurely and failed to make it
through as a fastest loser after recording a time of .20.13secs.
"I'm happy to still be here (for the relays)," he told reporters.
"My ankle is giving me a lot of problems. I can't run properly and I had a tight turn in lane three."
While the crowd has been full of admiration for Bolt, Gatlin's presence has been less well received in Rio.
But
Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, says he has enjoyed his rivalry
with the champion in spite of the negative crowd reaction directed
towards him.
"It's a showman's sport," Gatlin said.
"I think the rivalry that I have with Usain, it's turned it into a professional wrestling feel.
"Everyone's cheering for Usain, but they have someone they have to boo against."
While Gatlin stumbled, Bolt looked impressive as ever as he goes in search of a third successive gold in the event.
The Jamaican slowed down in the final stages before smiling at De Grasse's attempt to push him to go faster.
"He was supposed to slow down," Bolt told reporters.
"I said 'What are you doing, it's a semifinal?' But I think he wanted to push me. I was a bit lazy but I got round."
Canada's De Grasse, who won bronze in the 100-meters, came home in 19.80 -- a Canadian record.
He'll
be joined in the final by LaShawn Merritt of the US, Britain's Adam
Gemili, Christophe Lemaitre of France and Turkey's Ramil Guliyev.
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