 Following the race , seventh @-@ place finisher Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago declared " There 's no doubt he 's the greatest sprinter of all time " , while USA Today referred to Bolt as a Jamaican " national hero " , noting that his victory came just hours before Jamaica was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom . With his 2012 win , Bolt became the first man to defend an Olympic sprint title since Carl Lewis in 1988 . 
