Bolt rues start in final 100m race
Farewell party gate- crashed
Usain Bolt was left ruing a disastrous start as his failure to fire saw American arch- rival Justin Gatlin poop what was supposed to be a party in his final 100- meter race at the world championships on Saturday.
“My start is killing me,” said Bolt, who battled back up through the field to claim bronze behind Gatlin and silver medalist Christian Coleman.
“Normally it gets better during the rounds, but it didn’t come together. And that is what killed me. I felt it was there.”
Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, shrugged off the boos of the crowd to hail the great Jamaican, even dropping to his knees to bow to his rival.
Gatlin said Bolt had told him “you don’t deserve all these boos.”
“So I think for all that and inspiring throughout my career, he’s an amazing man,” Gatlin said.
Bolt had complained about the starting blocks in Friday’s first round, and left himself too much to do after finding himself behind Coleman.
“It was rough,” he said. “I was a little bit stressed. But I came out like at any other championships and I did my best. Thanks for the support. I could never expect this from any other crowd. They are what pushed me to do my best.
“The atmosphere was wonderful. I knew they would come out. I’m just disappointed I couldn’t do better for them but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
Although suffering a shock defeat in his last appearance in an individual sprint, his legend remains intact. He won the 100 meters at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as well as the 200 meters in those same years.
He was also 100- meter world champion in 2009, 2013 and 2015; 200- meter champion in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.
For good measure, he set the 100- meter world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009 and the 200- meter best of 19.19 seconds in the same year.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t end it on a winning note, but I want to thank you for your support,” said Bolt after his defeat on Saturday. “It’s been a wonderful experience as always.”
Gatlin was loudly jeered by the sellout 60,000 crowd at the London Stadium, where Bolt’s victory over him at the 2012 Olympic Games was hailed as triumph of “good over evil” given the American’s doping- tainted past.
“It’s just so surreal right now – I jumped in the crowd and went wild,” said the 35- year- old. “Usain said, ‘ Congratulations, you deserve it.’ And that’s from the man himself. He knows how hard I work.”
Gatlin played down the jeering, perhaps summing up the difference between him and Bolt perfectly by saying, “It’s not about the crowd. I tuned it out through the rounds and stayed the course. I kept my energy through the semis and came to the final to do what I do.”
In 2004 Gatlin won the Olympic 100- meter title before going on to claim a world sprint double in 2005 and then falling
foul of doping laws.