Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres

The men's 200 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between August 16 and 18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange. Athletes from 48 nations competed in this exciting race.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica won the gold medal, making it his third straight win in the 200 metres. This victory gave Bolt his eighth Olympic gold medal overall. He needed just one more race—the 4x100 metres relay—to achieve a special feat called the sprint triple-triple.

Canada earned a silver medal thanks to Andre De Grasse, marking the country's first medal in this event since 1928. Christophe Lemaitre of France won bronze, the country's first medal in the 200 metres since 1960. The United States, which often does well in this race, did not win a medal, which was unusual and had only happened four times before in the history of the event.

Background

This was the 27th time this race was held at the Olympics. Famous runner Usain Bolt from Jamaica was back, trying to win his third gold medal in a row in the 200 metres. He had already won the 100 metres and hoped to achieve something no other runner had done before.

Bolt faced strong competition from American runners like LaShawn Merritt, Justin Gatlin, and Ameer Webb. Despite some injuries earlier in the year, Bolt worked hard to get ready for the Olympics. Other top runners included Yohan Blake from Jamaica and athletes from many countries, all ready to race.

Summary

The men's 200 metres race at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro had many exciting moments. Justin Gatlin and other top runners competed, but Usain Bolt from Jamaica stood out. In the semifinals, Bolt and Brendon De Grasse joked as they raced, with Bolt winning in a fast time.

The final race was special because it might have been Bolt's last individual Olympic race. Despite wet weather from recent rain, Bolt started strong and pulled ahead. He won the gold medal, making history by winning gold in the 200 metres for the third time in a row. De Grasse took silver, and there was a close race for bronze among several athletes. Bolt celebrated his amazing achievement and his goal of winning three gold medals in a row in this event.

Qualification

Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification

Each country's team could have up to three runners in the men's 200 metres race if they all met the required time. The needed time was 20.50 seconds, and runners had from May 1, 2015, to July 11, 2016, to achieve it. Only outdoor races counted toward this goal. If a country did not have anyone meeting the time, they could still enter one runner using a special spot just for that purpose.

Competition format

The men's 200 metres event had three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. In the quarterfinals, there were ten races with eight athletes each. The top two from each race, plus the next four fastest times, moved on to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the top two from each of the three races, along with the next two fastest overall, advanced to the final race.

Records

Before this race, there were certain fast times set around the world. During the competition, some countries set new fastest times ever recorded for their nation.

Schedule

All times were in Brasilia Time, which is three hours behind Coordinated Universal Time.

Results

The men's 200 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics had many races to decide who would compete in the final. Athletes were split into groups, and the fastest ones moved on to the next round.

There were quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally, the final race where the gold medalist was decided. The results of each race are shown in tables.