A Chicago-born sprinter faced off Thursday in one of the most anticipated races in track-and-field against Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who held his rein as the fastest man in the world.
Wallace Spearmon Jr. finished in a medaless fourth place with his best time of the season so far. The top three spots were swooped up by Jamaicans Usain Bolt, who came in first, Yohan Blake in second and Warren Weir in third.
Spearmon finished second in Wednesday's semi-finals with a time of 20.02 seconds in the men's 200-meter sprint. Another Jamaican powerhouse, Yohan Blake, finished first. Bolt qualified in a separate heat at 20.18 seconds.
Spearmon came into the final with the third fastest time and was one of only eight men to qualify for the medal round. Six of the men running in the race clocked in under 20 seconds.
Sprinters usually are known for having a lot of confidence, but Spearmon told NBC Chicago he was nervous before the semi-final heat.
"I was extremely nervous," he said. "I haven't been that nervous since maybe my first year in college. But we'll see what happens."
Thursday's race would have served as redemption for Spearmon after he finished third in the 2008 Olympics and later was disqualified for stepping out of his lane. He earned his ticket to London in July with 19.83 seconds to win the men's 200-meter race.
Spearmon said this week he knew he'd have to unearth extra speed to medal in this event.
"Definitely sub-20, definitely something spectacular," he said.
And he certainly did, running a time of 19.90 seconds, just .06 away from a bronze medal.
