The Associated Press
LONDON - Usain Bolt of Jamaica won his second straight Olympic gold medal in the men's 100 meters Sunday, crossing the line in an Olympic-record 9.63 seconds.
Bolt joined Carl Lewis as only the second man to go back-to-back in track's biggest race.
Bolt's training partner and fellow Jamaican, Yohan Blake, finished second in 9.75. American Justin Gatlin took bronze in 9.79.
Bolt fell shy of his world record of 9.58 seconds but improved on the 9.69 he ran four years ago in Beijing to enter his name, once again, in the Olympic record book.
After taking half a victory lap around the track, he stopped, kissed the track and gave his now-famous "To The World" pose, pointing both fingers in the air while the fans screamed.
Bolt had a lightning semifinal - out of the blocks fast enough and surging ahead by halfway before coasting to the end, looking around for challengers, to take his heat in 9.87 seconds.
Blake was also able to ease up at the end and beat Bolt's time with .02 seconds.
Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion, won the first semifinal and had the fastest qualifying time of all, 9.82, to set up the high-powered final which will also include fellow U.S. runners Ryan Bailey and Tyson Gay. Jamaica has a trio in the finals, with Asafa Powell joining Bolt and Blake.
Bolt is seeking to become the first repeat champion since Carl Lewis in 1988, while Blake wants to add Olympic gold to the world title he already won last year.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)