Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres

The men's 200 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 18–20 August at the Beijing National Stadium.[1] There were 63 competitors from 53 nations.[2] Jamaican Usain Bolt set a new world record of 19.30 seconds in the final, and won by the largest margin of victory (0.66 seconds, after two disqualifications) in an Olympic 200 metres final (previously, Walter Tewksbury had a 0.6 seconds margin of victory in the first Olympic 200 m final in 1900). It was Jamaica's first victory in the event since 1976 and second overall, matching Canada and Italy for second-most (after the United States' 17 wins). The apparent silver and bronze medalists, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the United States, were both disqualified. Those medals went to Americans Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix, who had been fourth and fifth across the finish line; Crawford gave his silver medal to Martina afterward.[2] Crawford was the 10th man to win two medals in the 200 metres, and the third for whom those medals were gold and silver; nobody had yet won two gold medals.

Men's 200 metres
at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
Usain Bolt and Shawn Crawford in the closing stages of the final
VenueBeijing National Stadium
DatesAugust 18
August 20 (final)
Competitors63 from 53 nations
Winning time19.30 WR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Usain Bolt
 Jamaica
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Shawn Crawford
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Walter Dix
 United States
← 2004
2012 →
Official video @ YouTube

Background

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This was the 25th 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 2004 Games returned: gold medalist Shawn Crawford of the United States and sixth-place finisher Stéphane Buckland of Mauritius. 2005 World Champion Justin Gatlin was serving a doping suspension; 2007 World Champion Tyson Gay had suffered a hamstring injury at the U.S. trials and did not make the team. Without those top Americans, the heavy favorite was Usain Bolt of Jamaica. Bolt had competed in 2004 but had struggled through injury and did not make the quarterfinals; in 2008, he was healthy and, by the time of the 200 metres, had already set a world record in the 100 metres in Beijing.[2]

Ecuador, Jordan, Malta, and Uzbekistan each made their debut in the event. The United States made its 24th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Summary

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Bolt won by over half a second, even before a pair of disqualifications, breaking the world record in the event. Controversy arose within minutes after the medal race when American Wallace Spearmon, who had finished third in 19.95 seconds, was disqualified for stepping out of his lane. United States officials filed a protest, but withdrew it after seeing the video and noticing that silver medalist Churandy Martina (19.82 seconds), who had won the second ever Olympic medal for the Netherlands Antilles, also stepped out of his lane. They filed an appeal, which after more than an hour of deliberation was accepted.[3] [4] On March 6, 2009, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected an appeal by the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles against Martina's disqualification.[5] American Shawn Crawford, who had been awarded the silver medal, reportedly gave his medal to Martina on August 28, 2008[6] in a show of sportsmanship.[7]

Qualification

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Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was able to enter up to three entrants providing they had met the A qualifying standard (20.59) in the qualifying period (1 January 2007 to 23 July 2008). NOCs were also permitted to enter one athlete providing he had met the B standard (20.75) in the same qualifying period.[8]

The qualifying standards were 20.59 seconds (A standard) and 20.75 seconds (B standard).[9]

Competition format

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The competition used the four round format introduced in 1920: heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. The "fastest loser" system introduced in 1960 was used in the heats and quarterfinals.

There were 8 heats of 8 or 9 runners each (the first time that 9 runners were placed in a heat), with the top 3 men in each advancing to the quarterfinals along with the next 8 fastest overall. The quarterfinals consisted of 4 heats of 8 athletes each; the 3 fastest men in each heat and the next 4 fastest overall advanced to the semifinals. There were 2 semifinals, each with 8 runners. The top 4 athletes in each semifinal advanced. The final had 8 runners. The races were run on a 400 metre track.[2]

Records

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Prior to this competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:

World record   Michael Johnson (USA) 19.32 s Atlanta, United States 1 August 1996
Olympic record   Michael Johnson (USA) 19.32 s Atlanta, United States 1 August 1996
World Leading   Usain Bolt (JAM) 19.67 s Athens, Greece 13 July 2008 [10]

Usain Bolt set a new world record in the final, running the race in 19.30 seconds.

Schedule

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For the second Games, the three-day schedule with semifinals and final on different day was used.

All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Date Time Round
Monday, 18 August 2008 10:05
20:05
Heats
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, 19 August 2008 21:25 Semifinals
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 22:20 Final

Results

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All times shown are in seconds.

Heats

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The first round was held on 18 August. The first three runners of each heat (Q) plus the next eight overall fastest runners (q) qualified for the quarterfinals.

Heat 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 4 Shawn Crawford   United States 0.216 20.61 Q
2 6 Marcin Jędrusiński   Poland 0.199 20.64 Q
3 7 Stephan Buckland   Mauritius 0.229 20.98 Q
4 1 Jiří Vojtík   Czech Republic 0.165 21.05
5 9 Fanuel Kenosi   Botswana 0.211 21.09
6 3 Adam Harris   Guyana 0.163 21.36
7 5 Khalil Al-Hanahneh   Jordan 0.184 21.55 SB
8 2 Solomon Bockarie   Sierra Leone 0.216 22.16

Heat 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 3 Brian Dzingai   Zimbabwe 0.172 20.25 Q
2 5 Christian Malcolm   Great Britain 0.178 20.42 Q, SB
3 4 Christopher Williams   Jamaica 0.166 20.53 Q
4 8 Shinji Takahira   Japan 0.175 20.58 q, SB
5 2 Amr Ibrahim Mostafa Seoud   Egypt 0.172 20.75 q
6 9 Thuso Mpuang   South Africa 0.166 20.87 q
7 6 Daniel Grueso   Colombia 0.232 21.15
8 7 Arnaldo Abrantes   Portugal 0.173 21.46

Heat 3

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 8 Marlon Devonish   Great Britain 0.157 20.49 Q, SB
2 5 Kim Collins   Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.175 20.55 Q
3 7 Marvin Anderson   Jamaica 0.175 20.85 Q
4 9 Matic Osovnikar   Slovenia 0.189 20.89 q, SB
5 2 Chris Lloyd   Dominica 0.185 20.90
6 6 Heber Viera   Uruguay 0.210 20.93
7 4 Cristián Reyes   Chile 0.165 21.20
8 3 Franklin Nazareno   Ecuador 0.174 21.26

Heat 4

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 5 Roman Smirnov   Russia 0.166 20.76 Q
2 3 Walter Dix   United States 0.185 20.77 Q
3 9 Rolando Palacios   Honduras 0.202 20.81 Q
4 8 Ángel David Rodríguez   Spain 0.162 20.87 q
5 2 Bruno de Barros   Brazil 0.162 21.15
6 7 Desislav Gunev   Bulgaria 0.178 21.55
7 6 Vyacheslav Muravyev   Kazakhstan 0.206 21.68
8 4 Nicolai Portelli   Malta 0.180 22.31

Heat 5

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Rondel Sorrillo   Trinidad and Tobago 0.193 20.58 Q
2 4 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 0.177 20.64 Q
3 2 Kristof Beyens   Belgium 0.148 20.69 Q
4 9 Marc Schneeberger   Switzerland 0.137 20.86 q
5 7 José Acevedo   Venezuela 0.270 21.06
6 8 Ihor Bodrov   Ukraine 0.172 21.38
7 3 Mohamad Siraj Tamim   Lebanon 0.206 21.80 PB
8 1 Oleg Juravlyov   Uzbekistan 0.145 22.31
9 5 Juan Zeledon   Nicaragua 0.173 23.39

Heat 6

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 3 Wallace Spearmon   United States 0.184 20.46 Q
2 4 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure   Norway 0.161 20.54 Q, SB
3 2 Paul Hession   Ireland 0.190 20.59 Q
4 8 Seth Amoo   Ghana 0.140 20.91
5 7 Ronalds Arājs   Latvia 0.218 21.22
6 5 Jayson Jones   Belize 0.162 21.54
7 6 Nabie Foday Fofanah   Guinea 0.247 21.68
9 Bryan Barnett   Canada 0.164 DNF

Heat 7

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Obinna Metu   Nigeria 0.168 20.62 Q
2 9 Ramil Guliyev   Azerbaijan 0.175 20.78 Q, SB
3 8 Churandy Martina   Netherlands Antilles 0.172 20.78 Q
4 4 Sandro Viana   Brazil 0.159 20.84 q
5 5 Jamial Rolle   Bahamas 0.162 20.93
6 2 Shingo Suetsugu   Japan 0.185 20.93
7 7 Omar Jouma Bilal Al-Salfa   United Arab Emirates 0.184 21.00
3 Alexander Nelson   Great Britain DNS

Heat 8

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Aaron Armstrong   Trinidad and Tobago 0.183 20.57 Q
2 8 Brendan Christian   Antigua and Barbuda 0.164 20.58 Q
3 7 Jared Connaughton   Canada 0.146 20.60 Q
4 9 Visa Hongisto   Finland 0.145 20.62 q, SB
5 3 Marco Cribari   Switzerland 0.171 20.98
6 2 James Dolphin   New Zealand 0.161 20.98
7 5 Zhang Peimeng   China 0.150 21.06 SB
4 Samuel Francis   Qatar DNS

Quarterfinals

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The quarterfinals were held on 18 August. First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advance to the semifinals.

Quarterfinal 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 4 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 0.186 20.29 Q
2 7 Shawn Crawford   United States 0.198 20.42 Q
3 6 Kim Collins   Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.233 20.43 Q, SB
4 5 Marlon Devonish   Great Britain 0.146 20.43 q, SB
5 9 Jared Connaughton   Canada 0.151 20.45 q
6 3 Amr Seoud   Egypt 0.151 20.45 NR
7 8 Rolando Palacios   Honduras 0.248 20.87
8 2 Ángel David Rodríguez   Spain 0.172 20.96

Quarterfinal 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 4 Brian Dzingai   Zimbabwe 0.182 20.23 Q
2 7 Walter Dix   United States 0.162 20.27 Q
3 8 Christopher Williams   Jamaica 0.159 20.28 Q
4 6 Christian Malcolm   Great Britain 0.188 20.30 q, SB
5 9 Stephan Buckland   Mauritius 0.188 20.37 q, SB
6 5 Roman Smirnov   Russia 0.161 20.62
7 3 Shinji Takahira   Japan 0.185 20.63
8 2 Matic Osovnikar   Slovenia 0.171 20.95

Quarterfinal 3

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 5 Brendan Christian   Antigua and Barbuda 0.166 20.26 Q
2 8 Churandy Martina   Netherlands Antilles 0.155 20.42 Q
3 9 Kristof Beyens   Belgium 0.155 20.50 Q
4 6 Marcin Jędrusiński   Poland 0.199 20.58 =SB
5 4 Aaron Armstrong   Trinidad and Tobago 0.155 20.58
6 7 Obinna Metu   Nigeria 0.195 20.65
7 2 Sandro Viana   Brazil 0.168 21.07
8 3 Marc Schneeberger   Switzerland 0.156 21.48

Quarterfinal 4

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 8 Paul Hession   Ireland 0.190 20.32 Q, SB
2 4 Wallace Spearmon   United States 0.202 20.39 Q
3 6 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure   Norway 0.131 20.45 Q, SB
4 7 Rondel Sorrillo   Trinidad and Tobago 0.164 20.63
5 5 Ramil Guliyev   Azerbaijan 0.174 20.66 NR
6 3 Visa Hongisto   Finland 0.124 20.76
7 2 Thuso Mpuang   South Africa 0.162 21.04
9 Marvin Anderson   Jamaica 0.187 DNF

Semifinals

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The semifinals were held on 19 August. First 4 in each heat (Q) advance to the Final.

Semifinal 1

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 7 Churandy Martina   Netherlands Antilles 0.154 20.11 Q, NR
2 6 Brian Dzingai   Zimbabwe 0.184 20.17 Q, =SB
3 4 Walter Dix   United States 0.161 20.19 Q
4 3 Christian Malcolm   Great Britain 0.181 20.25 Q, SB
5 5 Paul Hession   Ireland 0.175 20.38
6 9 Christopher Williams   Jamaica 0.217 20.45
7 2 Jared Connaughton   Canada 0.146 20.58
8 8 Kristof Beyens   Belgium 0.211 20.69

Semifinal 2

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 0.175 20.09 Q
2 5 Shawn Crawford   United States 0.196 20.12 Q
3 7 Wallace Spearmon   United States 0.196 20.14 Q
4 8 Kim Collins   Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.191 20.25 Q, SB
5 4 Brendan Christian   Antigua and Barbuda 0.135 20.29
6 2 Stephan Buckland   Mauritius 0.141 20.48
7 3 Marlon Devonish   Great Britain 0.258 20.57
9 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure   Norway DNS

Final

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Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
  5 Usain Bolt   Jamaica 0.182 19.30 WR
  4 Shawn Crawford   United States 0.210 19.96
  8 Walter Dix   United States 0.151 19.98
4 6 Brian Dzingai   Zimbabwe 0.185 20.22
5 3 Christian Malcolm   Great Britain 0.212 20.40
6 2 Kim Collins   Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.165 20.59
7 Churandy Martina   Netherlands Antilles 0.144 19.82 DSQ
9 Wallace Spearmon   United States 0.167 19.95 DSQ
Wind: -0.9 m/s

References

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  1. ^ "Olympic Athletics Competition Schedule". IAAF. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d "200 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. ^ Charean Williams Amid dispute over silver and bronze, Bolt leaves no doubt with world record Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 20, 2008
  4. ^ Amy Shipley Lightning strikes twice, Washington Post, August 20, 2008
  5. ^ Martina's bid to reclaim silver rejected, ESPN.com, March 6, 2009.
  6. ^ Interview with Martina showing Crawfords letter and metal, see minutes 11 till 13 http://dewandeling.kro.nl/seizoenen/2014-2/afleveringen/11-10-2014 Archived 2014-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Martina gets silver lining in 200m". 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
  8. ^ "Entry Standards - The XXIX Olympic Games - Beijing, China - 8/24 August 2008". IAAF. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  9. ^ "Entry Standards - The XXIX Olympic Games - Beijing, China - 8/24 August 2008". IAAF. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  10. ^ "Season Top Lists – Senior 2008 – 200 Metres men", World Athletics, 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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