Belgacom MVD tops 200m rankings

The way in which Usain Bolt won the 200m at the Belgacom Memorial van Damme in 2009 was fabulous and unforgettable. He ran the fourth fastest race of all time in 19.57. And the temperature was cool and Bolt was cruising over the last 30m of the race. With that performance Usain Bolt puts the Men?s 200m of the Belgacom Memorial van Damme on top of the international rankings.

In 1968 Tommie Smith was the first athlete to run the 200m in less than 20 seconds. At the Mexico Olympics he ran a handtimed 19.8, which later became recognised as the first electronically measured world record on the distance in 19.83. In 1979 that mark was obliterated by Pietro Mennea in 19.72, also ran at height in. Only 17 years later, in 1996 Michael Johnson was able to set a new world record. At the USA Trials Johnson ran 19.66 before winning the Olympic final in Atlanta in unprecedented 19.32. That record lasted for 12 years. At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 Usain Bolt broke the barrier (19.30) en the Jamaican did even better at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009 : 19.19.

Since 1968 41 athletes were capable of running the 200m inside 20 seconds. All together they managed to do that 161 times. In his long athletics career Michael Johnson did it no less than 23 times. 10 sub 20 seconds marks have been registered at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme and that is a record as well. Lausanne and Stuttgart own 9 sub-20", Athens has 8 marks, Atlanta 7 and London and Monaco 6 each. Remarkable is that 9 different athletes managed to run below 20" in Brussels. That proves that the King Baudouin stadium is the fastest 200m track in the world. Usain Bolt with the men (19.57) and Merlene Ottey with the women (21.64) ran the fourth fastest 200m races of all time in Brussels.

Sub 20 seconds performances at the Belgacom MVD

1Usain BoltJAM 2009

2Tyson GayUSA 2006

319.88 Joshua J. JohnsonUSA 2001

319.88 Wallace SpearmonUSA 2007

519.89 Michael JohnsonUSA 1991

6NAM

7Michael JohnsonUSA 1999

819.96 Caetano Robson da SilvaBRA 1989

9 19.97Xavier Carter USA 2006

10 19.99Ato BoldonTRI 1996