Rio 2016 200m: Usain Bolt hopes eighth Olympic gold medal 'proves' he is the greatest among sport's elite

Bolt believes a third consecutive victory in the 200m puts him among the likes of Muhammad Ali and Pele

Usain Bolt celebrates victory in the men's 200m Olympic final (Getty)

Usain Bolt wants to be remembered among the greatest sportsmen of all time, and believes his third successive Olympic 200m triumph to add to the 100m hat-trick already achieved puts him up the with the best.

Bolt, who outclassed the best sprint field in the world for the second time in days, said: “I am trying to be one of the greatest, to be among (Muhammad) Ali and Pele. I hope after these Games I will be in that bracket.

"I don't need to prove anything else. What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest?”

Bolt was rocking to the music blasting out of the public address system as the runners were introduced, and fell into a bit of bossa nova when the cameras fell on him. When you are so much better than the rest, why wouldn’t you feel like dancing?

Andre de Grasse, the Canadian who so ribbed Bolt in the semis with his sprint to the line, went for the faux pistol shot. Would that he could blow Bolt away as neatly as the imaginary smoke from his fingers.

No chance. Second would have to do for him. Bolt could have been reading a newspaper so nonchalant was he in crossing the line in a time of 19.78 seconds.

The hard work began with the lap of honour to a soundtrack of Reggae rhythms. “I ran hard around the turn. On the straight, my body didn't respond. I'm getting old,” he said.

Two down one to go. Bolt goes for the hat-trick of hat-tricks in the 4x100m relay tonight.