Britain upsets U.S. in relay while Bolt ends career injured

LONDON — Usain Bolt ended his stellar career in excruciating pain.

The Jamaican great crumpled to the track with a left-leg injury as he was chasing a final gold medal for the Jamaican 400-meter relay team Saturday at the world championships.

Having to make up lots of ground on the anchor leg, Bolt suddenly screamed, stumbled and somersaulted as he came down, his golden farewell shattered by the first injury he has experienced at a major competition.

That wasn’t the only surprise. Britain went on to beat the United States in a tight finish.

The 60,000-capacity stadium was primed for one last Bolt show, one last “To the World” pose after a victory, but the injury made it blatantly clear why Bolt is ready to retire. His body can no longer hold up.

“He is still the best in the world,” said Justin Gatlin, Bolt’s American rival who ended up with 100-meter gold and relay silver.

Bolt’s teammates on the once-fabled Jamaican sprint squad were far from unmatchable, too. Bolt just had too much to make up in the final 100 meters as both Britain and the United States were ahead and Japan was even.

As Bolt fell to the ground, the leg with the golden shoe giving way, the crowd still went wild because the home team went on to win gold in 37.47 seconds, .05 seconds ahead of the United States.

It was yet another amazing upset in a championship of so many.

Before Bolt came onto the track, he was consoling Mo Farah, his long-distance equivalent who had just lost his first major race since 2011 when he failed to get gold in the 5,000 meters.

Farah also was bidding farewell to the track, coming up short of his fifth straight 5,000-10,000 double at major championships in a sprint against Muktar Edris of Ethiopia.

Tori Bowie was the unlikely first double gold medalist at the championships, anchoring the U.S. women’s team to the 400-meter relay title ahead of Britain and Jamaica. Allyson Felix, running the second leg, earned a record 15th medal at the world championships in a career dating to 2005.