Bolt cruises to an easy win in 200m

MOSCOW - Forget the race. With Usain Bolt, the real fun happens after he crosses the finish line.

Now that’s entertainment.

Certainly more than his 200-meter win, when the Jamaican was so far ahead of the field that he loafed to the line with teammate Warren Weir far behind him.

And then the party was on at the world championships - Bolt style.

Plenty of preening, lots of dancing and loads of over-the-top showboating. He did his trademark bow-and-arrow pose and kissed his muscles. He picked up a camera and snapped photos of Weir, who was trailing behind him just like in Saturday’s race.

“Happy to really get it done,” Bolt said. “I pushed myself all season to be the best.”

Bolt almost worked up more of a sweat dancing than he did dashing down the track in 19.66 seconds (and that was with shutting it down with about 60 meters to go). He hopped and skipped to the reggae sounds of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” much to the thrill of the crowd.

Guess that tender foot is quite all right, the one Bolt hurt when he dropped the starting blocks on it during a training session.

This easy win, coupled with his leisurely stroll last weekend in the 100, gives him seven career gold medals at the worlds. He needs just one more to tie Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson for most-ever among men. And Bolt will go for another in the 4x100 relay on Sunday as the competition comes to a close.

“That guy is unbelievable,” said American Curtis Mitchell, who finished with the bronze medal. “I trained with him in London prior to the championships. He’s a great guy. He’s laughing and having fun. He’s a normal guy - with superb talent.”

In this race, Bolt provided all the electricity. There was no lightning before the race, no rain drops to add to the drama.

Although Bolt promised to run all-out all the way to the finish - and possibly make a run at his world record of 19.19 - he backed off the accelerator because of tired legs and an aching foot.

AP