Bolt wins final race on home soil
Superstar has a lot to do before world championships in August
Usain Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on Saturday as the world’s fastest man ran his final race on Jamaican soil.
Bolt wanted to go out in a blaze of glory as he won the 100- meter “Salute to a Legend” race in front of a raucous crowd of 30,000 on the same track where he launched his international career at the world juniors in 2002.
The 30- year- old Bolt leaped out of the blocks and cruised to victory in a time of 10.03 seconds, well below his world record time but good enough to beat a solid field.
“I don’t think I have ever been that nervous to run the 100 meters,” said Bolt, who is retiring in August following the world championships.
“Just the atmosphere and the people. The support they came out and gave me, it was really nerve- wracking.”
After the race Bolt took a victory lap then returned to the track and the No. 5 lane where he kissed the finish line before flashing his signature “Lightning Bolt” pose for the final time at home.
“From world juniors to now I have always been getting great support from Jamaica,” Bolt said.
“I never thought I would ever reach this height. My only aim was to be a 200- meter Olympic champion.”
The nine- time Olympic gold medalist Bolt did not run in the fastest 100- meter race of the evening, but his devoted fans didn’t care.
He ran in front of a sea of greenand- yellow clad Jamaican fans who showed their pride by dancing, waving flags and blowing vuvuzela horns while fireworks lit the sky.
Bolt said the reception he received was larger and louder than he anticipated. “I never expected this.
I knew it was going to be big but the stadium was jampacked with people supporting me. I appreciate that,” he said.
Since this was his first race of 2017, Bolt said his biggest concern was just putting on a good show.
Bolt was honored during a 20- minute ceremony on the infield which was attended by his coach Glen Mills and Sebastian Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Bolt said he plans to run the 100 meters at the London world championships but he still has a lot of work to do to get ready.
“My execution was bad and my start was poor,” he said of Saturday’s race. “It is my first race since January and I didn’t expect anything spectacular. I just wanted to come out here and put on a show for the crowd and thank them for the support.”
In other events, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake won the first 100- meter race of the evening as he clocked a 9.97 to hold off South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who finished in 10 seconds flat. Bolt’s time would have placed him third in Blake’s heat.
South African Wayde van Niekerk won the men’s 200 meters with a world- leading time of 19.84 seconds.
American Olympic gold medal winner Allyson Felix captured the women’s 400 meters by finishing in a time of 50.52.
British track star Mo Farah easily won the 3,000 meters running away from the pack to cross the finish line in a time of 7: 41.20, while David Tarbei squeezed by fellow Kenyan and world record holder David Rudisha at the line to win the men’s 800 meters in a time of 1: 44.85.