Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres


The men's 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 24 to 26.
The top four runners in each of the initial seven heats automatically qualified for the second round. The next four fastest runners from across the heats also qualified. Those 32 runners competed in four heats in the second round, with the top three runners from each heat and the four next fastest runners qualifying for the semifinals. There were two semifinal heats, and only the top four from each heat advanced to the final.
Barely turned eighteen, Usain Bolt came to the Olympics injured and was not able to compete at the level he had achieved earlier in the season. He was eliminated in the heats in his only Olympic defeat. He would eventually go on to win double gold at the Beijing, triple at London and Rio Olympics.
The final pool looked similar to the 100 metres final pool, with the favorites, Justin Gatlin, Francis Obikwelu and Shawn Crawford in the center of the track. Bernard Williams also was in the final, along with perennial silver medalist Frankie Fredericks. From the gun, Williams near the inside got a clearly better start, quickly making up a step on the stagger to Crawford to his outside. But through the turn, Crawford maintained the distance while running the further distance. Crawford and Gatlin ran about even last portion of the turn looked more powerful than Williams and Gatlin on either side. By the end of the turn, it was the three Americans in the lead, led by Crawford, Obikwelu the closest challenger a step behind. Crawford separated from Gatlin at the head of the straight and the race was for second. Gatlin held the edge down the straight until the last ten metres when Gatlin seemed to struggle and Williams cruised to silver. Next to last at the beginning of the straight, veteran Fredericks gained steadily and was able to dip past Obikwelu for fourth, but not enough to break up the American sweep.

Records

, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
No new records were set during the competition.

Qualification

The qualification period for athletics took place from 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the men's 200 metres, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 20.59 seconds or faster during the qualification period. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 20.75 seconds or faster could be entered.

Schedule

All times are Eastern European Summer Time
DateTimeRound
Tuesday, 24 August 200410:35
20:00
Round 1
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, 25 August 200422:50Semifinals
Thursday, 26 August 200422:50Final

Results

Round 1

Qualification rule: The first four finishers in each heat plus the next four fastest overall runners qualified.

Heat 1

Wind: +1.5 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
16Stéphane Buckland0.18520.29Q
22Francis Obikwelu0.24320.40Q
22Juan Pedro Toledo0.21420.40Q, NR
44Yang Yaozu0.21720.59Q, SB
57Johan Wissman0.24520.60q
61Paul Brizzel0.17921.00
73Nabie Foday Fofanah0.22721.45
8Hamed Al-Bishi

Heat 2

Wind: +1.4 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
15Shawn Crawford0.27220.55Q
28Christopher Williams0.14020.57Q
33Marcin Urbaś0.17420.71Q, SB
42Darren Campbell0.15520.72Q
51Jaysuma Saidy Ndure0.15820.78q
64Leigh Julius0.16420.80
76Geronimo Goeloe0.16721.09
87Basílio de Moraes Júnior0.23621.14

Heat 3

Wind: +2.0 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
15Frankie Fredericks0.23520.54Q
23Malik Louahla0.18720.67Q
34David Canal0.18120.72Q
41Brian Dzingai0.18420.72Q
57Heber Viera0.25620.94SB
62Oleg Sergeyev0.26920.95
78Menzi Dlamini0.27021.82
6Chris Lambert0.244

Heat 4

Wind: 0.0 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
17Marcin Jędrusiński0.25620.63Q, SB
22Tobias Unger0.16020.65Q
36Joseph Batangdon0.23920.92Q
48Géza Pauer0.25721.02Q
55Usain Bolt0.25421.05
61Christian Nsiah0.14621.06
73Hamoud Abdallah Al-Dalhami0.15221.82
84Ryo Matsuda0.22324.59

Heat 5

Wind: +2.2 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
17Dominic Demeritte0.24620.62Q
28Christian Malcolm0.28420.62Q
35Panagiotis Sarris0.25420.67Q
43Asafa Powell0.20720.77Q
52Jiří Vojtík0.17920.79
64Dion Crabbe0.23120.85
76Nazmizan Mohamad0.23821.24
81Adam Miller0.19821.31

Heat 6

Wind: +1.8 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
12Bernard Williams0.20720.29Q
28Anastasios Gousis0.23620.44Q, PB
33Andrew Howe0.19820.55Q
44Matic Osovnikar0.20320.57Q
56Till Helmke0.24120.72q
65Oumar Loum0.24020.97
77Anninos Marcoullides0.24723.94

Heat 7

Wind: 0.0 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
12Sebastian Ernst0.22020.47Q, =PB
28Justin Gatlin0.28220.51Q
36Marco Torrieri0.22220.68Q
45Cláudio Roberto Souza0.16520.70Q, =SB
57Brendan Christian0.25120.71q
64Shinji Takahira0.21221.05
73Dadaş İbrahimov0.14121.60
81Russel Roman0.26424.89

Quarterfinals

Qualification rule: The first three finishers in each heat plus the next four fastest overall runners advance to the semifinals.

Heat 1

Wind: +1.1 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
14Shawn Crawford0.20719.95Q
25Frankie Fredericks0.22820.20Q, SB
33Tobias Unger0.16220.30Q, PB
46Christopher Williams0.18620.34q, SB
51Johan Wissman0.18620.74
67Géza Pauer0.24120.90
72David Canal0.17921.18
8Joseph Batangdon

Heat 2

Wind: +0.2 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
14Bernard Williams0.21720.40Q
23Anastasios Gousis0.19520.46Q
36Marcin Jędrusiński0.19420.55Q, SB
47Till Helmke0.14420.76
58Brian Dzingai0.20620.87
62Marco Torrieri0.17720.89
75Malik Louahla0.17520.93
81Yang Yaozu0.16221.03

Heat 3

Wind: +0.5 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
14Justin Gatlin0.22020.03Q
28Asafa Powell0.20620.23Q
35Sebastian Ernst0.24420.36Q, PB
47Matic Osovnikar0.23520.47q, NR
56Christian Malcolm0.25920.56q
63Dominic Demeritte0.14120.61
72Brendan Christian0.18220.63
1Marcin Urbaś0.162

Heat 4

Wind: +0.1 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
13Francis Obikwelu0.19120.33Q
25Stéphane Buckland0.23920.36Q
36Juan Pedro Toledo0.27620.43Q
42Darren Campbell0.17920.59q, =SB
58Cláudio Roberto Souza0.15920.64SB
67Jaysuma Saidy Ndure0.24820.73
71Panagiotis Sarris0.18420.92
84Andrew Howe0.21121.17

Semifinals

Qualification rule: The first four runners in each semifinal heat moves on to the final.

Semifinal 1

Wind: –0.1 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
16Shawn Crawford0.23120.05Q
24Bernard Williams0.20020.18Q
33Frankie Fredericks0.15220.43Q
42Tobias Unger0.17320.54Q
55Anastasios Gousis0.20520.68
67Christopher Williams0.16420.80
78Marcin Jędrusiński0.24520.81
81Darren Campbell0.15020.89

Semifinal 2

Wind: +0.2 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
14Justin Gatlin0.19520.35Q
26Francis Obikwelu0.24420.36Q
33Stéphane Buckland0.18320.37Q
45Asafa Powell0.23620.56Q
58Sebastian Ernst0.29920.63
62Juan Pedro Toledo0.21520.64
77Christian Malcolm0.23920.77
81Matic Osovnikar0.19720.89

Final

Wind: +1.2 m/s
RankLaneNameNationalityReactionResultNotes
4Shawn Crawford0.22619.79PB
5Bernard Williams0.17320.01PB
3Justin Gatlin0.19520.03
48Frankie Fredericks0.24820.14SB
56Francis Obikwelu0.18320.14
67Stéphane Buckland0.29420.24
71Tobias Unger0.15320.64
2Asafa Powell