By James Standley
Usain Bolt streaked to a new world record as he produced a stunning run in the Olympic 100m final.
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Jamaica's Bolt sets 100m record ... to celebrate 15 metres from the line he still set a new mark of 9.69 seconds.
Richard Thompson finished second while American Walter Dix came third but they were yards behind the Jamaican.
"I wasn't worried about the world record. I didn't know it until I'd done my victory lap," Bolt told BBC Sport.
"When I ran the earlier round I felt the world record [was possible], because it's a new track, it's fast. But I came out here just to win. I'm so happy for myself and my country.
"Me and my coach, we decided that I can take both the 100m and 200m. So I came here prepared to do that."
Bolt's Jamaican team-mate Asafa Powell had been tipped as a possible rival but finished in fifth place as Bolt produced a superlative performance.
Second-placed Thompson posted a time of 9.89 seconds while Dix was two-hundredths of a second back in third as six men broke the 10-second barrier, but the race was all about Bolt.
Earlier this year he had set a new world record of 9.72 seconds to take the record away from Powell, and the 21-year-old had looked in imperious form on his way to the final.
Powell had also looked in fine form but from the gun it was clear there was only going to be one winner.
The 6ft 5in Bolt was away as quickly as anyone and when he hit the front with 50m to go it was all over bar the shouting.
The only question was just how fast a time he was going to set.
And despite easing down well short of the line he took three-hundredths of a second off his previous record in a display American legend Michael Johnson described as "the greatest 100m performance in the history of the event".
(BBC)
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