Bolt does double-double, Rudisha breaks record

By Mike Collett-White and Kevin Liffey

LONDON (Reuters) - Usain Bolt surged to the Olympic 200 meters title on Thursday at the head of a Jamaican medal sweep to become the first man to win the 100 and 200m sprints at successive Games.

The race capped a historic day when Kenya's David Rudisha broke his own 800m world record, leaving the field trailing from the gun, and Britain's Nicola Adams became the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title.

The sellout 80,000 attendance in the athletics stadium was matched at Wembley, where the biggest crowd for a women's Olympic soccer match saw the United States beat Japan 2-1 to claim their third straight Olympic gold.

Bolt's time equalled the fourth fastest ever run as he eased down in the last 30 meters, sensing that he was not on course to break his own world record. Silver went to his main rival and training partner Yohan Blake, and bronze to Warren Weir.

"I knew it wasn't going to be a world record when I came around the corner, I could feel it," Bolt said. "I really wanted to try to get a world record in the 200 meters but it was harder than I think."

Now unchallenged as the greatest sprinter of all time, Bolt could add a sixth gold medal if he can anchor Jamaica to a second successive Olympic 4x100m victory on Saturday, in the last athletics event.

Rudisha had his eye on history from the gun on a warm, still night, becoming the first man under one minute 41 seconds.

"I had no doubt about winning, but I was waiting for perfect conditions to break the record," he said.