Photo: CTV

Eric Rosales, CTVOlympics.ca Staff

Jamaica's Usain Bolt proved once again that he is the fastest man on the planet.

On the brightest stage at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in a 100-metre field that featured the four fastest men in the history of the sport, Bolt raced to victory in a time of 9.63 seconds - an Olympic record - to repeat as champion.

He is the first repeat Olympic champion in the 100m since American Carl Lewis won the race at Los Angeles 1984 and again at Seoul 1988.

Bolt's training partner Yohan Blake was second, matching his personal best with a time of 9.75s, while American Justin Gatlin suffered his first loss of the season, settling for bronze in a time of 9.79s.

Another American, Tyson Gay, fell just short of a medal, finishing fourth in a time of 9.80s.

The race marked the first time in history that seven men finished under 10 seconds in a 100m race.

Ironically, it was only Jamaican Asafa Powell - the man with the most sub-10s runs in the history of the sport - who failed to break the barrier, finishing in last in a time of 11.99s.