Olympics 200m champions – Usain Bolt out in front
The USA have won 16 of 28 men’s 200m gold medals, while Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah is the first woman to successfully defend both 100m and 200m Olympic titles.
Athletics
The Paris 2024 Olympics didn't produce a 100m-200m double after USA's Noah Lyles, who won the 100m title, finished third in the 200m race.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, the winner of Paris 2024 100m race, came close after she finished second in the 200m a few days later.
The retired Usain Bolt had achieved the feat three consecutive times - at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
At Tokyo 2020, it was Bolt’s fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah, who became the first woman to successfully defend the 100 metres and 200 metres titles at an Olympics.
After the 100m, the 200m is considered to be one of the most prestigious events at the Olympics. Barring the inaugural modern Games at Athens 1896, the men’s 200m has seen a permanent presence at the Olympics from Paris 1900. The women’s event has been held since London 1948.
The USA have been the most successful nation in the 200m, winning 16 out of the 28 gold medals in the men’s 200m and six out of 20 in the women’s 200m.
American men have swept all three 200m medals at the Olympics on as many as six occasions: St Louis 1904, Los Angeles 1932, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Los Angeles 1984 and Athens 2004. No country has swept the three 200m medals in the women’s event so far, although there have been quite a few doubles.
Usain Bolt is the most successful athlete in the 200m with three gold medals, while another Jamaican Merlene Ottey has won the most medals – four (one silver, three bronze).
No man apart from Usain Bolt has won multiple 200m gold medals. Three women - Bärbel Wöckel of East Germany (Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980), Veronica Campbell Brown of Jamaica (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), Elaine Thompson-Herah also of Jamaica (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) – have won two 200m gold medals.
Usain Bolt holds the world (19.19 seconds) as well as the Olympic records (19.3 seconds) in the men’s 200m. Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 21.34 seconds en route to the Seoul 1988 gold still remains the world and Olympic best in women’s 200m.