Summer Olympics: Usain Bolt tops list of most successful male 200m sprinters
The 200 metres event comes under the Athletics category at the Summer Olympics.
The men's 200m event has been part of the multi-sport event since 1900, while the women's 200m event was introduced in 1948.
With the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, let's look at the most successful male 200m sprinters at the Summer Olympics.
We shall see where Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis, two of the most famous 200m sprinters, feature on this list.
(Note: Ranking is based on gold medal count. If athletes have equal number of gold medals, the number of silver medals followed by bronze medals has been used as the deciding factors for the rankings)
(* - Total Medals won here refers to total medals won by the respective athlete only in the individual 200m Olympic event)
#5 - Donald Quarrie (Jamaica)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 0, B - 1)
1976: Gold, 1980: Bronze
Donald Quarrie won the 200m gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics in a time of 20.23 seconds.
Four years later, the Jamaican picked up the 200m bronze medal with a timing of 20.29s.
Quarrie has also won 2 other medals in athletics at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games.
#5 - Pietro Mennea (Italy)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 0, B - 1)
1972: Bronze, 1980: Gold
Pietro Mennea won the bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics with a timing of 20.30s.
Mennea missed out on a medal at the 1976 Games but was dominating the event a few years later.
In 1979, the Italian set the world record in the 200m in a time of 19.72s. One year later, the Italian struck gold at the 1980 Games with a timing of 20.19s.
Mennea has 1 additional medal in athletics from the 1980 Summer Olympics. The 200m record stood for more than 16 years until it was broken in 1996 by American Michael Johnson.
#2 - Andy Stanfield (USA)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 1, B - 0)
1952: Gold, 1956: Silver
Andy Stanfield is one of 3 athletes tied at No. 2 on this list, with each of them winning 1 gold and 1 silver in the 200m event.
Stanfield won gold at the 1952 Summer Olympics in a time of 20.7s.
Four years later, the American picked up a silver medal at the 1956 Games with the same timing.
Stanfield has an additional gold in athletics from the 1952 Summer Olympics.
#2 - Shawn Crawford (USA)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 1, B - 0)
2004: Gold, 2008: Silver
Shawn Crawford won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in a time of 19.79s.
Four years later, the American's timing of 19.96s (-0.9) was good enough for a silver.
Crawford has 1 additional silver medal in athletics at the Summer Olympics.
#2 - Carl Lewis (USA)
Total Medals Won: 2 (G - 1, S - 1, B - 0)
1984: Gold, 1988: Silver
American Carl Lewis, one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history, is also tied at No. 2 on this list.
Lewis won gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in a time of 19.80s.
At the next Summer Olympics, he won the silver medal in Seoul with a timing of 19.79s.
Across his incredible career, Lewis won a total of 10 Olympic medals, which includes 9 golds. That makes him one of only 4 Olympians to win 9 gold medals.
#1 - Usain Bolt (Jamaica)
Total Medals Won: 3 (G - 3, S - 0, B - 0)
2008: Gold, 2012: Gold; 2016: Gold
Not surprisingly, Usain Bolt tops this list of most successful 200m sprinters at the Olympics with 3 golds, coming in successive Olympics.
Bolt won the 200m at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics with timings of 19.30s (-0.9), 19.32s, and 19.78s.
The Jamaican broke the 200m world record for the first time in 2008 (at the Olympics itself). He broke the record for second time in 2009 with a timing of 19.19s, which remains the world record to this date.
Best known for his “Shh” gesture and “Lightning Bolt” celebration, Bolt has earned 8 Olympic gold medals in his unparalleled career.
Having accomplished his dream to become the greatest ever, Bolt retired from the sport in 2017.
"I’m going to miss this sport and I’m going to miss the Games because it’s the biggest event possible for any athlete. But I’ve proven that I’m the greatest in this sport and, for me, it’s mission accomplished," Bolt said at the time.
Notable mention
Michael Johnson is one of the all-time greats in the 200m event. The American broke the world record twice in 1996, which stood until Bolt broke it in 2008.
In 1996, Johnson won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics - his lone Olympic medal in the 200m - and just missed making the Top 5 in this list.
(With inputs from the official Olympic website)
Also Read: Top 5 most successful American male sprinters at Summer Olympics