The exchange of smiles and conversation between the Jamaican Usain Bolt and the Canadian Andre De Grasse at the finish of the 200 meters semi-final of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games attracted attention this Wednesday in Engenho. In search of his third Olympic title, the star was planning a calmer race. However, he had to slow down in the face of his young opponent’s efforts and described the attitude as “unnecessary”. “He was supposed to take it slow. I said, ‘What are you doing? Semifinals.’ I think he wanted to put pressure on me. I was a little lazy, but I reversed the trend. He added: “I wanted to go slower, but De Grasse had other ideas, he wanted to race as quickly as possible to achieve the national record.”

Competitiveness is an asset for Bolt in the decision this Thursday, at 10:30 p.m., and the objective is to try to break the world record for his favorite race. At the 2009 Berlin World Cup, the sprinter clocked 19.19 seconds, a time he hopes to achieve at the Rio Olympics.

“I really think I can run for the world record, that’s how I feel. I have to run efficiently and have a perfect race. I hope that lane six or seven can maybe run as easily as possible .” said the Jamaican.

In the 200 meter final, Bolt will not face his main rival. North American Justin Gatlin was passed in the third heat and did not qualify for the medal match. The Jamaican sprinter naturally took advantage of the absence of his opponent, silver medalist in the 100m. “I wasn’t completely surprised, I thought he would get there, but I saw over the 100 meters that he was suffering, that he was losing speed, that he was getting older,” he said. he declares.

Gatlin avoided crying following his elimination and appeared resigned. “I’m happy to still be here (for the relay). My ankle is giving me a lot of problems, I can’t run properly and there was a sharp turn in lane three,” he explained.