Bolt was back to his normal playful self as the runners lined up for the final, but his reaction time at the start (0.193) showed how careful he was to avoid another disqualification. Despite the strictures that lane three imposed on a man 1.96m tall, Bolt still passed 100m in 9.97, leading by almost 2m from Dix, who was a half metre in front of Ndure. Bolt extended his lead down the straight, passing 147m in 14.25, 0.21 ahead of Dix, with Lemaitre now in third (14.61). The world record holder continued to extend his lead, winning by a full three tenths from Dix in the third best time ever. “I was running as hard as possible,” he remarked. Lemaitre set a French record of 19.80 after duelling with Ndure for the bronze.