LONDON (AP) — Usain Bolt opened defense of his Olympic 200-meter title with a comfortable win in the opening round Tuesday, easing up to a jog over the final 80 meters to finish in 20.39 seconds.
The Jamaican, who won the 100 meters Sunday night in an Olympic-record 9.63 seconds, will race again Wednesday in the 200 semifinals. The final is Thursday.
Bolt’s teammate, 100-meter silver medalist Yohan Blake, won his heat easily in 20.38. The third Jamaican, Warren Weir, finished his race in 20.29, 0.01 slower than the morning’s fastest time, posted by Ecuador’s Alex Quinonez.
Also advancing were Wallace Spearmon of the U.S. (20.47), Christophe Lemaitre of France (20.34) and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands (20.58), who finished second in 2008 but was disqualified for running out of his lane.
