BEIJING // Usain Bolt took his first steps towards securing the first Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984 when he cruised through his first-round 200 metres heat today. Jamaica's Bolt claimed the 100 metres gold with a spectacular world record on Saturday but has said all along that the 200m, in which he was a world championship runner-up last year, is the race closest to his heart. In today's heats he caught Nicaragua's Juan Zeledon within about four strides before going on to ease home in 20.64 seconds, just behind Trinidad & Tobago's Sorillo Rondell.
The defending champion Shawn Crawford and this year's 100m bronze medallist Walter Dix also went through comfortably. Wallace Spearmon completed the USA trio progressing. The second round takes place later today with the semi-finals tomorrow and final on Wednesday. *Reuters