It's not enough that he's the best in the world. Usain Bolt is also one of the most charismatic, charming, amiable athletes out there.
On Wednesday night, he again showed the world why -- while introducing casual sports fans to the sprinter who in 2020 could take over Bolt's current title of Fastest Man in the World.
Bolt cruised in his 200-meter semifinal heat, crossing in 19.78 and practically downshifting to second gear by the time he hit the finish. But right there beside him, goading him into a faster time at the last second? Canada's Andre De Grasse -- an incredible sprinter -- someone who has a great chance of earning a medal in Thursday night's 200 final. De Grasse crossed in 19.80.
As Bolt neared the line, De Grasse sneaked up on him, looked to his left and flashed his great friend a Cheshire cat grin. Bolt returned a smile, pushed a little harder -- and made sure he beat his Canadian rival. Then he waved his finger, as if to say, "No, no, my friend. You're not beating me."
"He's supposed to slow down," Bolt said, half-jokingly, on NBC.
Bolt will go for his third consecutive Olympic gold in the 200 meters on Thursday night. He's maintained for a while now that he'll try to beat his world record of 19.19 seconds, which he set seven years ago.
"I'm ready, I'm feeling good," Bolt said. "I felt smooth. I'm happy. I'm on the right track."
On Sunday night he achieved his three-peat feat in the 100. De Grasse took bronze in that event, finishing behind Justin Gatlin. Speaking of Gatlin, he won't be seen on Thursday night in the 200. Surprisingly, he failed to finish in the top eight. Why? He felt compelled to look to his left amid a tight race, and that effort could have cost him hundredths of seconds, which is everything in a race as short as 200 meters.
Gatlin crossed in 20.13. He did say he had a tight ankle, too.
"Back in the warmup area, my ankle started stiffing up on me a little bit, so made the best of it, had a tight turn but, wishing the guys luck," Gatlin said. "We're getting for the 4x100."
Did looking at his competitors cost him?
"Possibly, but I felt my ankle coming home, so I tried to hold on as long as I could," Gatlin said on NBC. "I wish all my teammates going to the finals good luck."
His only teammate who qualified for the 200 final: LaShawn Merritt. He won his heat and will have a good go of it, likely competing for bronze.
Here is the final eight for the 200-meter final on Thursday.
Usain Bolt (Jamaica)
Andre De Grasse (Canada)
LaShawn Merritt (USA)
Christophe LeMaitre (France)
Alonso Edward (Panama)
Adam Gemili (Great Britain)
Ramil Guliyev (Turkey)
Churandy Martina (Netherlands)
