By Tariq Panja and Danielle Rossingh - 2012-08-09T00:42:19Z

Usain Bolt is one win away from completing an unprecedented double that he said will bring him sprinting immortality.

Bolt jogged over the finish line last night at the Olympic Stadium in London in a time of 20.18 seconds to qualify for the 200-meter final. He said he planned it that way.

You cant work too hard, youve got the finals, Bolt told reporters. That was the aim. You cant push too hard.

The 25-year-old Jamaican said after running an Olympic record 9.63 to defend his 100-meter title that he also needed to retain the 200-meter crown to become a legend. Victory tonight would make him the first man to take gold in the 100 and 200 meters at consecutive games.

Bolt, one of the most recognized athletes in the world, is the only person to have run below 9.60 in the 100 meters and under 19.20 in the 200 meters. He broke his own world records in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

The 6-foot-5 Bolt, who only took up the 100 meters as speed work to prepare for the longer sprint, may not have things all his own way in his favorite event.

Yohan Blake, the silver medalist in the 100 meters, beat Bolt in the Jamaican 200-meter trials, raising the prospect that he could shock his training partner at the Olympics. Blake slowed to win his 200 semifinal in 20.01.

The race was a walk in the park, said the 22-year-old, whose 19.26 at a meet in Brussels on Sept. 16 is the second fastest all time, 0.07 slower than Bolts world record.

Commentators including former 100-meter Olympic champion Maurice Greene said they favored Blake over Bolt in the shorter sprint.

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Usain Bolt Targets Victory That Will Bring Sprinting Immortality