Jamaica's Usain Bolt takes it slow to secure place in 200m final

August 8, 2012: Usain Bolt of Jamaica puts his arm on the shoulder of Christophe Lemaitre of France after his men's 200m semifinals (GETTY IMAGES)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt edged closer to the "legendary" status he covets by easing into the men's 200 metres final to secure a shot at an unprecedented Olympic sprint double-double.

The world's fastest man sped to the 100m and 200m titles in Beijing in 2008 and on Sunday secured the former once more in scintillating style. In Thursday's 200m final he will go for a double-double that, in his own words, will make him a legend.

The 25-year-old world record holder finished his semi-final in 20.18 seconds after slowing down in the closing stages.

The main pretenders to Bolt's crown, his compatriot and this year's fastest man Yohan Blake and America's Wallace Spearmon progressed from the first heat, with Blake looking impressive before easing down for a time of 20.01.

Britain's Christian Malcolm missed out on the final after finishing third in his race in 20.51s.

The 33-year-old Welshman said: "I'm disappointed. My last Olympic Games and it would have been nice to make the final but it wasn't to be.

"It's one of those things. I'm getting a bit older and it's not getting any easier."

PA