The Jamaican reigning world and Olympic champion, and world record holder (19.19sec), clocked 20.31sec and never looked in danger after an impeccable start.

He came off the bend well in front of the field and coasted through to the finish line, affording himself several glances over his shoulder at the chasing athletes, as he had also done in his morning heat.

Bolt, who admits he is not in world record shape this season, had insisted he would not dwell on the disappointment of his 100m disqualification.

“Does it look like it?” a smiling Bolt replied when asked whether he was over his 100m disaster.

“You win some, you lose some, I’m over that now — I made a mistake, I’ve got to move on.”  

And at a packed Daegu stadium, Bolt did not fail to entertain.

Goofing at the television cameras, preening his hair and striking his trademark lightning bolt pose, Bolt seemed relaxed and  a world away from the desolate figure he cut after being disqualified from Sunday’s 100m final.

As introductions were made on the stadium big screen, Bolt danced, gave a six-gun salute and even performed some karate moves,  also motioning to the crowd with a finger to his lips to be quiet in tandem with the automated tannoy system.

When the screams and whistles died down, Bolt, wearing yellow spikes and loose singlet over black shorts, settled in his blocks and made no mistake on his departure, registering a relatively slow  reaction time in an obvious ’play-safe’ tactic.

After his victory, the Jamaican rewarded his screaming fans by hurling his spikes into their midst.

The 25-year-old Jamaican, who is world leader over the 200m this  season with a run of 19.86sec in Oslo, was not the fastest in qualifying, however.

That honour fell to European champion Christophe Lemaitre (20.17sec), who showed an impressive burst to outpace Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade, the 2008 world junior silver medallist in the first semi.

Also qualifying for Saturday’s final were American Walter Dix, 100m silver medallist in Daegu, and Berlin silver medallist Alonso Edward of Panama.

“Go for the world champion, that’s what I’m going to do,” a bullish Dix said.

Edward, who finished second to Dix in their semi, added: “My race was all right and I’m ready to do my best.”   

Making up the final will be Gambian-born Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy  Ndure, Brazilian Bruno de Barros and Rondel Sorrillo of Trinidad.