Justin Gatlin wins 100m final as Usain Bolt settles for bronze
Sprint titan Usain Bolt bows out of major individual athletics races in most dramatic way, settling for 100m bronze behind Justin Gatlin.
Sprint titan Usain Bolt has bowed out in the most dramatic way — beaten by the former drugs cheat Justin Gatlin, who was booed by the crowd, and forced to settle for bronze behind the young American future star of the sport, 21-year-old Christian Coleman.
Bolt was looking to finish his athletics career the same way he started nearly a decade ago: as an unstoppable, irrepressible champion. But this morning he struggled to make up the metre he lost at the start and, despite his gritted-teeth effort, the eight-time Olympic champion and world record holder was unable to quite make up the difference.
“I wanted to end on a winning note,” Bolt told the crowd, expressing some sadness that he couldn’t satisfy his legion of fans who were chanting his name.
Bolt’s last hurrah in the 100m was disrupted by the American duo: Gatlin, who stormed down lane eight, clocking 9.92sec, and Coleman, who was racing beside him and posted 9.94sec. Bolt dipped at the line, but he was 0.01sec off Coleman and took the bronze medal. Bolt immediately went over to Gatlin and congratulated him with a huge bear hug, giving himself some time to absorb his own loss.
Gatlin, 35, is the Athens Olympic champion who served two drug bans — one for ADHD medication in 2001 and a second for testosterone in 2006. Recently, Gatlin has mentored Coleman and considers him to be the “mirror image” of himself.
Bolt admitted he knew he would be in trouble if he didn’t get a strong start, but he may have expected his strongest rival was the man nine years younger, not the man four years his senior.
“I knew if I didn’t get the start I would be in trouble, and that’s what happened,’’ Bolt said.
“I can’t say much, I didn’t execute when it mattered.’’
Earlier, he said his race was rough and “a little bit stressed’’.
Bolt said he appreciated the immediate post-race gesture from Gatlin, who got on his knees to genuflect to him. He told Gatlin he didn’t deserve the crowd’s boos.
“He’s a great competitor, you have to be at your best and I wasn’t (tonight),’’ Bolt said.
“I really appreciate competing with (Gatlin) … he is an excellent person.’’
Gatlin said the people who loved him were cheering for him and he tuned out the jeers from the crowd.
“It’s just so surreal right now — I jumped in the crowd and went wild,’’ Gatlin said.
“Usain has accomplished so much in our sport and inspired others like Coleman to come out and compete in the championships.
“Usain said: ‘Congratulations, you deserve it.’ And that’s from the man himself. He knows how hard I work. Tonight was all about the W (win) and I managed to sneak it.”
As Gatlin did in 2002, Coleman dominated the American NCAA sprints this year.
After the race, Bolt spent a long time around the track, waving to the crowd and hugging his family and friends, including his parents Wellesley and Jennifer who had come from their home in Trelawney, Jamaica.
He thanked the crowd, bowed and struck his famous lightning bolt pose: “It’s wonderful, I never expected this, it has been a wonderful experience.”
He received a thunderous standing ovation from the packed 56,000-strong crowd, many of whom had paid $350 for entry.
Back in 2012, Bolt’s charm softened his grandstanding hubris: “I’m now a legend. I’m also the greatest athlete to live,’’ he said after defending his Olympic title at the London 2012 Olympics.
Last year, Bolt hinted at what kept him in the sport having conquered every major title many times over: “I want to be among greats Muhammad Ali and Pele.”
His motivation has been to remain unbeatable. But the signs were there that Bolt may have stayed a year too long. He had been gradually slowing down since setting world records in 2009 in both the 100m (9.58sec) and the 200m (19.19), a year after blasting onto the international scene at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He will have one more appearance on the track when he contests the 4x100m relay on the weekend, but has bypassed his favourite distance, the 200m.
Early in his athletics career, Bolt took up the 100m only to avoid his coach’s suggestion he should extend to the 400m and he has had to rely on his gigantic strides and power to offset poor starts.
Bolt’s phenomenal record speaks for itself: eight Olympic gold medals, which would have been a triple-triple of golds if not for the positive drug test of one of his teammates in the Beijing Olympic 4x100m relay, and 11 world championship titles.
Bolt has amassed an estimated $70 million in endorsements over the past decade, and his next career, if he has his way, is to take up a professional soccer contract (however, as a youngster, Bolt was also a handy cricketer). Bolt has taken up an offer to train with Borussia Dortmund and his agent Ricky Sims claims a dozen football teams have offered legitimate trials.
Gatlin served a doping ban between 2006 and 2010 and won silvers behind Bolt at the past two world championships.
Additional reporting: AFP
Premier’s Olympic stadium scramble
A new stadium at Brisbane’s Victoria Park has been recommended by a draft secret report reviewing plans for the city’s 2032 Olympics, sparking fury in the top ranks of the new Queensland government.
Inside the secretive process to select Australia’s next Olympic CEO
Barring the sudden appearance of white smoke billowing from the chimneys at the AOC’s headquarters, the pending appointment of one of the most hallowed jobs in Australian sport remains shrouded in secrecy.