Usain Bolt makes history in Rio with third successive Olympics 100m gold medal

If there were any doubts, it took less than 10 seconds - 9.81, to be exact - for 

Usain Bolt to erase them. He is the Olympic champion once again.

On a muggy Sunday night in Rio, the Jamaican superstar won the signature event in 

track and field in a runaway and added this line to his already gleaming resume: first 

person to capture three straight 100-metre titles at the Olympics.

The 6-foot-5 sprinter overcame his typically slow unfurling from the blocks, gradually 

worked up speed, caught American Justin Gatlin with 40 metres left and was 

celebrating - pointing at his chest with his thumb - before he crossed the finish line.

Bolt beat Gatlin, who was greeted by the fans with raucous boos, by .08 seconds. 

Andre de Grasse of Canada won the bronze.

Chants of "Bolt, Bolt, Bolt" rang out from the near-capacity stadium. The show lived 

up to its billing.

No, this wasn't Bolt at his fastest - or even his best. The man who burst onto the scene 

with his hot-dogging world record eight years ago in Beijing turns 30 after these 

Olympics and says these will be his last. 

"I am a living legend," he said. "Somebody said if I win these three gold medals I 

would be immortal and I kind of liked it. So I'm going to run with that one.

"I'm happy and I'm proud of myself. It wasn't perfect execution, but I'm proud of 

myself. I wanted to set myself apart from everybody else and this is the Olympics, I 

have to do it.

"I came to this Olympics to win three gold medals, to prove myself again as one of the greats."