Usain Bolt, the fastest human in history, has won 8 Olympic and 11 World Championship gold medals over a glittering career.
Bolt enhanced his legendary status with an unprecedented third consecutive 100m, 200m and 4x100m triple at the Olympic Games in Rio, 2016. He also currently holds the world record in all three distances.
However, Bolt had to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals after his Jamaican teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance. Carter was part of the Jamaican quartet that won the 4x100m in Beijing in 2008. Before the Rio Games, an anomaly was discovered in Carter’s submission following the (International Olympic Committee) IOC’s decision to retest 454 samples from Beijing using the latest scientific analysis methods. The test was later reported to contain methylhexanamine, which has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) radar since 2004. Interestingly, Carter was also part of the squad that won the event in London five years ago and helped Jamaica win at the World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
While the return of this one gold medal may take away the shine of Bolt’s ‘triple triple’ achievement in Rio last summer, it doesn’t change what he has accomplished for the future of World Athletics. The Jamaican star, and undoubtedly one of the most celebrated superstars in sporting history, bid farewell to the Olympic stage by celebrating his 30th birthday on the day of the closing ceremony of the Rio Games.
His glorious sprint treble in Rio seemed like the perfect end point, but he was possibly persuaded to continue until the World Championship largely at the behest of his fans and (sponsor) Puma, who pay him in excess of £7 million a year. Slow off the blocks, as we have seen on many occasions before, Bolt surged in the second half of the men’s 100m final at the IAAF World Championships of Athletics in London. Only this time around he finished his final individual race with a bronze behind Gatlin and Christian Coleman of the USA, who withstood what was once Bolt’s undeniable late charge. Unfortunately, Bolt didn’t complete his 4x100m relay final due to an injury sustained during the run.
Bolt insists that he has no regrets about his final stint. “I’ve proved to the world I’m one of the greatest athletes. I don’t think this changes anything. I’ve done my part as an athlete, to uplift the sport and show it’s getting better. I can’t be too disappointed. I did my best,” he added. Widely considered as the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt now urges the younger generation to never stop trying. “My motto is anything is possible,” he signs off.
And it is now time for future athletes to take heed!
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
