He slowed up, stretched his arms out wide and put his palms out, then slapped his chest. He was still running.

It's not every day you see an Olympic sprinter saunter to victory, much less look around to check how his rivals are doing, before crossing the finish line. But then, it's not every day you see Usain Bolt coast into history by clocking 9.69 seconds in the 100m sprint final.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica (C) celebrates winning the men's 100m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 16, 2008. [Agencies]

In doing so, the Jamaican sprinter Saturday broke his own record of 9.72 seconds that he set on May 31 in New York - less than a year after taking up the dash.

What was billed as a showdown thus ended in a walkover. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago took the silver with 9.89, and Walter Dix of the United States was third with 9.91.

The 21-year-old Bolt's performance left no doubt whatsoever about who deserves the title of "World's Fastest Man".

Usain Bolt of Jamaica points at his race time after winning the men's 100m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 16, 2008. Bolt won 100 metres gold at the Beijing Olympics in a world record time on Saturday, running 9.69 seconds to claim victory in an exhilarating showdown with his compatriot Asafa Powell. [Agencies]

Former world record-holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica came fifth, while world champion Tyson Gay of the US failed to qualify for the final.

On water, Michael Phelps moved equally confidently to secure his place in history by winning a record-equaling seventh gold medal.

Phelps edged Milorad Cavic of Serbia by a hundredth of a second in the 100m butterfly. Now he has just one more event left to beat Mark Spitz and stand alone with eight golds in a single Games. "I was shocked at the end," Phelps said after winning the 100m butterfly in 50.58 seconds. "I'm happy and at a loss for words."