This time, he refrained from celebrating his victory until
after he had crossed the finishing line.
But Usain Bolt still pulverised his opponents in the 200m race yesterday, just as he had four days earlier in the 100m.
The Jamaican sprinter - nicknamed Lightning Bolt - became the first man for a quarter-century to win both sprints at the same Olympics.
Joy: Usain Bolt celebrates winning the 200m and the sprint double 
Miles ahead: Bolt crosses the finish almost a second ahead of Martina Churandy and Shawn Crawford, lane four
And Bolt, who is 22 today, now holds the world record in the two events.
He won the 200m in 19.30secs, breaking the 12-year-old record of Michael Johnson by 0.02 seconds.
A crowd of 91,000 at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium broke into wild applause as the athlete sank to his knees on the track after crossing the finishing line.
On Saturday, he had astonished the Beijing crowds, and millions of TV viewers, by breaking his own world record in the 100m - seemingly without needing to try.
He recorded a time of 9.69seconds, but many athletic experts believe he could have gone under 9.60secs if he had not slowed 10m from the line and beat his chest in expectation of his victory.
Top dog: The Jamaican beat the record held by Michael Johnson by 0.02 seconds
The two wins mean that 6ft 5in Bolt is both literally and figuratively head and shoulders above his rivals. He is unusually tall and skinny for a sprinter, and he has become the most drug-tested athlete in Beijing.
He has undergone more than 35 tests since breaking the world record in the 100m at the end of June.
His win yesterday made him the first man since Carl Lewis in Los Angeles in 1984 to win both sprint titles. And with the relay races to come, the Jamaican now rivals eight-times swimming gold medallist Michael Phelps as the star of the Beijing Games.
The crowd cheered as Bolt jogged, danced and shimmied his way around a lap of honour with the Jamaican flag draped on his back.
Just as he did after the 100m, he took off his gold shoes and held them up to the crowd.
Doing the double: Bolt is the first man since Carl Lewis (right) to win both the 100m and 200m sprint events in one Olympics 
Fastest man in the world: 'Lightening' during his lap of honour
Advertising executives estimate Bolt's golden double is worth an estimated ?10million to him in the next year.
And pundits were last night asking whether this man from the small Jamaican town of Trelawny - who had wanted to be a fast bowler before being persuaded to try running - could become the greatest sprinter of all time.
'Its just great,' declared Bolt after the race. 'This is a dream come true. You come out every day to be a champion and I am just happy. I told everyone I would leave everything on the track and I did just that. I have proved I am a true champion and that with hard work anything is possible.'
The presence of Bolt had turned the 200m final into a kind of theatre with scores of TV cameras focused on his every movement.
Finalist: Britain's Christan Malcolm came in seventh in the 200 metres final
As each gesture was seen by the crowd on the big screen, it was met with cheers and applause.
Michael Johnson, who watched in the stadium, had claimed earlier in the day that he felt his record would not be broken, but that it was only a matter of time before he could 'kiss it goodbye'.
Bolt clearly agreed and the determination on his face was clear as he powered down the home straight before glancing anxiously at the clock as he crossed the line.
Briton Christian Malcolm, who finished sixth, paid his own tribute to Bolt, saying: 'He is without a doubt one of the best competitors I have ever seen. He has raised the bar now and the rest of us have got to follow.
'It is amazing, what can you say? I think people were shocked when Michael Johnson did what he did in Atlanta.
'I think people will be more shocked by what Usain Bolt has done in these championships. He is a good guy and it can only help the sport.'
One he did earlier: Bolt after breaking the 100 metre record
Source: Daily Mail UK, August 21, 2008 
