Who will succeed Usain Bolt as Olympic 200m champion? Here are your Tokyo finalists

Could we be in for another sprint shock at Tokyo 2020?

After a decade of dominance by Usain Bolt – who swept the 100m and 200m in 2008, 2012, and 2016 – it was Italy’s Marcell Jacobs who soared to gold in the 100m final earlier this week.

The result shocked the athletics world and made Jacobs a household name.

Now, it’s time for the 200m final, which takes place later on Wednesday (4 August), set to start at 21:50 JST. Fittingly, it’s the final race of the night.

Former Bolt foe, Canadian Andre de Grasse, the Rio silver medallist in the 200m, is the most experienced of the eight finallists. Reigning world champion Noah Lyles of the U.S. also features.

It was Lyles and de Grasse who went 1-2 at the World Championships in 2019.

Here, we profile the contenders – and how their form looks heading into the final.

De Grasse, Lyles do battle again

De Grasse was easily the most impressive runner in the semi-finals.

In the outside lane, the Canadian - who took 100m bronze behind Jacobs - looked at ease as he clocked a new national record of 19.72.

After the aforementioned silvers in 2016 and 2019, can de Grasse finally collect his first global title?

Lyles was the pre-event favourite but seemed to relax a bit too much in his semi-final.

With only the first two from each heat guaranteed spots in the final, Lyles was assured of victory but slowed up too quickly and ended up a narrow third behind fellow finallists Aaron Brown and Joseph Fahnbulleh.

Fortunately for Lyles, his time of 19.99 was enough to secure a place in the final, but the American will need to be at his best if he is to add the Olympic title to his world title.

Team USA strong: Knighton, Bednarek too

Lyles’ fellow American Erriyon Knighton may be just 17, but the way he has performed so far in the Olympic Stadium suggests that his time may not be far away.

He showed great maturity in his semi-final, taking it comfortably in 20.02 to go through to the final.

The U.S. will have three sprinters in the final, with Kenny Bednarek having been hugely impressive this year so far and pushing Lyles all the way at the U.S. Trials.

He looks in good form in Tokyo, but even he could not stay with de Grasse in the third semi-final heat.

Bednarek has run 19.78 this season, and a repeat of that time should see him on the podium. But he will almost certainly have to improve on that if he is to take gold.

Don't miss: Fahnbulleh, Brown, Richard, Dwyer

Liberia have never won an Olympic medal, but Fahnbulleh could be about to change that.

Fahnbulleh’s parents emigrated to the United States when he was a child, and he set sprint records at high school in Minnesota.

The 19-year-old University of Florida student attracted wider attention when he won the NCAA Championships in a blistering 19.91.

He broke 20 seconds again in the semi-finals, and could be in the shake-up for the podium.

Canada’s Aaron Brown will run in Lane 4, between Lyles and Knighton, having clocked a 19.99 this season – just 0.04 off his personal best.

Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tabago and Jamaica’s Rasheed Dwyer round out the field, though neither have broken the 20-second mark yet this season.