Come Sunday, the world of sport will focus on the marquee event — the men’s 100m. But the one man who had made this event even more magical over the past three Olympics, Usain Bolt, will not be there in Tokyo.

But whoever has seen him in action, like this correspondent, cherishes that moment for ever.

At the 2012 London Olympics, hardly any event matched up to the hype around Bolt and the 100m. And it took the Jamaican just 9.63 seconds to silence critics, doubters and challengers.

As he flashed past the finish line in the 100m final on that August 6 night, the jam-packed Olympic Stadium burst out in applause. Not only did he win the race, it came with an Olympic record and he became enshrined in Olympic history as the only man to win back-to-back Olympic 100m crowns. Carl Lewis has a similar feat — but he got the 1988 Seoul 100m gold only because Ben Johnson, the initial winner, got disqualified for doping.

Jamaica finished 1-2 that night, with Bolt’s training partner and new-found rival Yohan Blake coming second. American Justin Gatlin took the bronze.

Blake had beaten him twice at the Jamaican trials in Kingston before the Olympics, in the 100m and 200m. But in London, where it mattered, Bolt declared who was the boss. And that it happened on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from British rule, that too in London, must have added to the rapturous celebrations back home.

Even the semi-finals had evoked a lot of passion, and there too Bolt was the darling of the crowd. He sauntered into the final with a 9.87 sec, behind Gatlin and Blake in timing.

Like a true champion he had kept his best for the last — when it really mattered. In the final, he was a little slow off the block, giving his rivals a bit of an advantage. But within seconds, midway through the race, he had overtaken Gatlin and then Blake, to breast the tape first. He was nearly 0.12 seconds ahead of Blake. That is when the chasm between Bolt and the rest became obvious.

A nagging doubt about his fitness and uncertainty over his form had followed Bolt to London. There was none of the Bolt boldness that was there in Beijing when his self confidence almost bordered on arrogance. In London, coming in as the defending champion, he almost was put to the task of having to reassert himself. But at the marquee event, he showed the world that he was not yet ready to give up on his crown. The challengers were, well, just that – challengers.

Even the erratic London weather had held up for the race. The day had dawned rather cold and wet, with torrential rain at short bursts taking place till way past noon. But as evening approached the skies cleared up and the stage was set for a fine athletics drama to unfold.

The stadium reverberated to the chants of “Usain, Usain” as he struck his familiar lightning pose and even played to the crowd after the race by doing a somersault during the victory lap.

After the victory Bolt had said: “There were a lot of people doubting me, saying that I wasn't going to win, that I didn't look good. It is an even greater feeling now that I am No.1. I was slightly nervous before the race started, but that cheer I got (from the crowd) made all the jitters go away.”

He was generous in his praise for Blake. “Blake did a better run than me today. When he beat me in Jamaica it was like a wake-up call for me.”

The 100m in London saw seven of the eight sprinters break the 10 seconds barrier, a first in Olympic history.

Blake too was effusive in his praise for Bolt, keeping aside their obvious rivalry. "Usain is the fastest man in the world and I've got a silver medal. What more could I ask for," he had said. "To be the second fastest man in the world behind Usain is an honour."

(Reliving the men’s 100m final at the 2012 London Olympics)