As Usain Bolt fulfilled his final media duties inside the Bird's Nest stadium after winning 100m gold, with cleaners tidying around him and a security team sweeping the infield one of his diehard fans draped in the Jamaican flag screamed: 'Yes Usain Bolt, thank you man!'
Over the years Bolt's victories on the global stage, now nine World Championships and
six Olympic gold medals, have inspired awe and disbelief but never such an outpouring
of gratitude.
Talk of him saving the sport by beating one doper in Justin Gatlin might be a tad
overstated. After all there are still 66 convicted drugs cheats in Beijing and four of them
took up a lane in the 100m final alone. It will take considerably more than 9.79sec,
Bolt's winning time, to solve a problem of that magnitude.
But by defeating the unashamed American, banned twice for drugs offences and utterly
unrepentant, he landed a significant blow for clean athletes rallying against the dopers
who steal their medals and in turn their money.
The winning margin was just 0.01sec, with Gatlin taking silver in 9.80sec, but it was
probably the most symbolically important hundredth of a second in athletics' history.
The hero had beaten the villain and the sense of relief in the posh seats, where those
charged with protecting the image of the sport were stationed, was palpable.
'I've shown the world that it is possible to succeed clean. I have worked my hardest, I
have pushed myself, I've been doing it for years.' said Bolt.
He almost missed out on athletics' morality play altogether after stumbling out of the
blocks in the semi-final but managed to stay upright and win in 9.96sec to advance.
'I just almost fell,' said Bolt, 'but after the semi finals my coach [Glen Mills] said: 'listen,
you are thinking about it too much, there's too much on your mind, all you have to do
is remember that you've been in this position a million times so just go out there, relax
and get it done' and that's what I did.'
Asked if he felt under more pressure because of the good versus evil narrative which
framed the race, Bolt said: 'It's never pressure, I'm coming here to win. If I wanted to
continue my legend I had to win, so for me that was all the pressure I needed.'
Coming into these Championships, Gatlin was unbeaten in 27 races and topped the
world rankings over 100m, boasting the four fastest times this year, between 9.74sec
and 9.78sec. He looked the man to beat after advancing fastest in the heats and semi-
final, where he ran 9.77sec despite easing down five metres from the line. It was the
first time in history all men in the final, eventually nine, had run sub-10sec times to
make it there. The loudest cheer was reserved for home favourite Bingtian Su who
equalled his national record of 9.99sec to secure his berth.
Boos and whistles rang out as Gatlin, who at the age of 33, for whatever reason, is only
getting quicker was announced. As Bolt danced at the start and blew kisses to the
crowd, with the Jamaican contingent singing 'One Love' back at him, Gatlin was steely
eyed and completely focussed.
Usually so consistent, it appeared the sense of occasion overwhelmed Gatlin as he got
a poor start by his usual high standards and lost his balance five metres from the line,
which probably cost him the race. 'I gave it away,' said Gatlin, 'I stumbled and my arms
got a little flaily but I'm happy to come so close and to represent my country. You have
to come out and run and, over the last five metres, it wasn't my day to do so. Bolt is a
gamer, he's a showman. Anyone who goes against him has to be ready to go to
work".
(Daily mail)
No comments:
Post a Comment