The good news is that Usain Bolt will bow out in London at next year’s World Athletics Championships: an emotional treat for British spectators.
Advertisement
That race came after a mere 65-minute break between the semi-finals and final, nearly an hour less than athletes are usually afforded to recover and prepare for the gold medal race at major meets. And last night was no different.
Bolt’s swan song in the Olympic 100 meters Sunday night was a no-doubter – a pedestrian-by-his-standards 9.81-second sprint down the straightaway, but not so slow that he couldn’t take time to point at his own chest with his thumb a step before he crossed the finish line. We’re joined now by the photographer who took that photo.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Renee.
This is the third Summer Olympics at which Spencer has photographed Bolt.
Bolt said: “My coach (Glen Mills) said he’s the only guy right now, apart from me, that can break the 400m world record”.
In the middle of all this disgrace and doubt stands a glowing figure who brings a distinctly Jamaican flavour: a global idol from a non-privileged background whose reach extends far beyond the rich countries that provide most of his money, as Muhammad Ali’s did. ‘But I guess some people are more vocal than others’.
He knew how this night was going to go.
Bolt showed an expectant Rio crowd he was in great shape by clocking a season’s best 9.86 as he cantered to victory in his semi-final. Justin Gatlin, who won the silver, is in the twilight of his career at 34.
“Going into the call room, (bronze medallist) Andre de Grasse, Trayvon (Bromell), we wished each other well – even Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt himself”.
MONTAGNE: And afterwards, what did the athletes have to say? This was a race viewed by many as good versus evil, though in track nothing is ever as simple as it looks.
“I was exhausted going into the final”. At the beginning of the season I was a little bit anxious, I didn’t feel like myself compared to a year ago and I was contemplating a little bit of, was this a good decision or not to leave USC. The rest was a matter of how hard he wanted to run to the line.
Churning his legs to gradually build up speed, he eventually caught Gatlin with about 40 meters left and took it to warp speed. “I’m not happy with the schedule, and hopefully, they’ll change it back”.
They could have been big brother and little brother. So, that’s why the race was slow. This was the most contested of his three 100 meter golds. “I’d really like to compete against him over 300m”, said Bolt. Bolt was busy dazzling the universe, even as he celebrated his 21st birthday.
Advertisement
Here’s hoping that Bolt’s answer was simply a diplomatic nod to his sporting buddy because everybody knows you’re really not allowed to harbour split loyalties when it comes to football teams.
