Eleven time World Championship men’s 100m
gold medallist, Usain Bolt, on Saturday night
ended his individual career with a bronze
medal after losing his title to bitter rival
Justin Gatlin of the USA at the 2017 World
Athletics Championships in London.
American Gatlin won his second world 100m
title – 12 years after his first – to ruin 12-
time Olympic champion Bolt’s final individual
race.
Bolt, who retires after next week’s 4x100m
relay, had no answer and was third behind
Gatlin, who clocked 9.92secs and Christian
Coleman (9.94secs).
It was the most anticipated race of the
competition after home boy, Mo Farah, who is
also retiring after the championships, won the
men’s 10,000m gold on Friday.
Bolt’s 9.95secs equalled his best effort of
2017 but he always trailed. The 30-year-old
world record holder, who before Saturday had
never lost a final race in his entire career, has
struggled all season and was first beaten by
21-year-old Coleman in the semifinals of the
event.
He will now look to the 4x100m for a gold
medal to finally celebrate his retirement from
the sport.
Gatlin – banned twice for doping – was booed
before the race and celebrated wildly, holding
his hands to his ears.
The 35-year-old, who started in lane eight,
was behind his compatriot Coleman from the
blocks but picked up in the last 20 metres to
wear down the margin and take his first major
title since 2005.
Bolt’s compatriot, Yohan Blake, took the
fourth position in 9.99secs, South Africa’s
Akani Simbine was fifth in 10.01secs while
France’s Jimmy Vicaut was sixth in
10.08secs.
Great Britain’s Reece Prescod — who qualified
for his first major final with an impressive
time of 10.05secs in the semifinal — finished
seventh in 10.17secs and China’s Bingtian Su
was eighth in 10.27secs.
Bolt told BBC Sport , “I tightened up at the end
and that is something you should never do. I
didn’t execute when it mattered.
“I am not fully comfortable in those blocks but
you have to work with what you have. I can’t
complain about that. He (Gatlin) is a great
competitor. You have to be at your best
against him. I really appreciate competing
against him and he is a good person.”
“I tuned it out [the booing] through the rounds
and stayed the course. I did what I had to do.
The people who love me are here cheering for
me and cheering at home.
“It is Bolt’s last race. It is an amazing
occasion. We are rivals on the track but in the
warm-down area, we joke and have a good
time. The first thing he did was congratulate
me and say that I didn’t deserve the boos. He
is an inspiration,” gold medallist Gatlin said
Source: punchng
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