Bolt is the only legend who completed his Olympics athletic career which has comprised six gold medals, with two world records in individual and two in relays for good measure. And above all he is the only one who made it history by gathering the 100m-200m double twice, the only one among eight men having achieved that feat. But no-one has come back four years later and repeated the feat, not even the great Carl Lewis, who took silver in the 200m behind Joe DeLoach in 1988.
Bolt did so on Thursday night and Saturday night added the relay gold medal in an epic battle with the Americans, who themselves broke the old world record with 37.04. In fact, so good were the American quartet of Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey that when Bolt received the baton with 100m to go he was, if anything, half a step down on Bailey. And that was against a Jamaican quartet that had started with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake.
That said, if you go off close to equal with Bolt, there is only one winner and sure enough, as London crowd roared its last for a track race at these Games, Bolt duly delivered, striding away to provide the track programme with the finale it - and he - deserved.
As he crossed the line, he aped Mo Farah, forming the letter M on his head - the Mobot celebration - which surely qualifies as the ultimate tribute to Britain's new double Olympic champion.
Behind Bolt, the Trinidadians took bronze in 38.12, after a disqualification for Canada. But all eyes were on one man, who was soon draped in the customary Jamaican flag and posing with his team-mates. For one awful moment, as an elderly official approached the youthful Bolt, it looked as though it might be the Jamaicans who had incurred the wrath of officialdom. But replays confirmed their changeovers legitimate and so history could stand.
Showboating, gurning and laughing through these Games, as he did in Beijing, he stands out as its undisputed star.
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