9.81 Seconds Of Bliss

Usain’s job isn't just to win. It’s to make the Olympics—however briefly—a feel-good experience. As usual, the ultimate escapism artist delivered.

- Tim Layden

THE MAN’S job is to bring joy. In the ceremonial moments just before his race, in the fewer than 10 seconds during which he sprints down the track and in the celebratory minutes just afterward, Usain Bolt of Jamaica is expected to restore peace to the world. He is asked to transport us to a magical place where all athletes are free of drugs and none are mugged at gunpoint and officials are generous idealists in service of the greater good of the five rings. There is no controversy here, there is only the big man and 100 meters of earth disappearing beneath his feet until he crosses the finish line to roaring and relieved approval.

His job, in short, is to rescue the Olympic Games. And not in the way that U.S. swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles rescue the Olympics, by keeping U.S. television viewers sated with medals and repeated playings of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Bolt is expected to save the Olympics from the galloping scourge of mistrust and indifference, to act as the beacon of purity that takes us back to another time. This is a tall order, but Bolt is always game to try.

On Sunday night—a warm Brazilian winter’s eve, with the lights of the Olympic Stadium illuminating an eerie haze—Bolt took the gold medal in the 100 meters for the third consecutive time. (Only Carl Lewis had done it twice.) Wearing gold Puma spikes, Bolt easily ran down fast-starting Justin Gatlin of the U.S. and crossed the line in 9.81 seconds. It was his fastest time in a year that has been sabotaged by injuries, but it was the slowest of his three Olympic 100-meter finals. “I’m happy,’’ said Bolt, who will turn 30 this Sunday. “I’m proud of myself. This is what I came here for.”