Bolt’s mid-race smile is new template for internet memes
Sprinter has been hailed for semi-final race where he cracked a smile for cameras before crossing the finishing line
PHOTO COURTESY: Getty Images
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won his seventh Olympic gold in Rio, but it was his antics which set social media ablaze.
The 29-year-old captured an unprecedented third consecutive 100m crown to confirm his place in the pantheon of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, powering over the line in 9.81sec as he vanquished American rival Justin Gatlin who took silver along with Andre de Grasse of Canada who claimed bronze.
Bolt completes 100m hat-trick in 9.81sec
However, the sprinter has been hailed not for his final race, but for the semi-final where he cruised home in 9.86sec and cracked a smile for the cameras before crossing the finishing line:
In pictures: Bolt makes Olympic history with 100-metre triumph
And soon, internet memes also followed:
Athletics seeks redemption in poster boy Bolt
The victory left Bolt standing alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in the modern Olympic Games.
No other athlete — man or woman — has ever won three consecutive individual Olympic sprint titles.
It also leaves Bolt on track to complete an incredible “triple-triple” of clinching 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles for a third consecutive Olympics.
“Somebody said I can become immortal. Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal,” said Bolt after the final race.
This article initially appeared on Time
The 29-year-old captured an unprecedented third consecutive 100m crown to confirm his place in the pantheon of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, powering over the line in 9.81sec as he vanquished American rival Justin Gatlin who took silver along with Andre de Grasse of Canada who claimed bronze.
Bolt completes 100m hat-trick in 9.81sec
However, the sprinter has been hailed not for his final race, but for the semi-final where he cruised home in 9.86sec and cracked a smile for the cameras before crossing the finishing line:
In pictures: Bolt makes Olympic history with 100-metre triumph
And soon, internet memes also followed:
Athletics seeks redemption in poster boy Bolt
The victory left Bolt standing alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in the modern Olympic Games.
No other athlete — man or woman — has ever won three consecutive individual Olympic sprint titles.
It also leaves Bolt on track to complete an incredible “triple-triple” of clinching 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles for a third consecutive Olympics.
“Somebody said I can become immortal. Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal,” said Bolt after the final race.
This article initially appeared on Time