In what’s slated to be his last professional individual sprint, Usain Bolt lost a 100-meter run to American Justin Gatlin on Saturday in London, at the IAAF World Championships.
Gatlin edged both fellow American Christian Coleman and the Jamaican Bolt in a photo finish.
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The full heat:
Gatlin’s victorious time was 9.92 seconds. Coleman, narrowly in second, was at 9.94, followed by Bolt at 9.95. Bolt’s countryman Yohan Blake was fourth at 9.99. It’s an impressive showing for the U.S. to place the top two finishers.
Bolt’s had a brilliant career. He can credibly say that at his peak, he was the fastest man in the world — probably of all time. He’s still the all-time record-holder in the 100m, and he has eight Olympic gold medals (spread across three Games) to his name. He’s declined from his greatest heights, but he still nearly won in London.
That he didn’t finish with a win is a shame, but it doesn’t diminish his greatness.
Bolt’s done racing individually, but he’ll appear next weekend with Team Jamaica in the 4x100m relay.