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 100m race at the world championships
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 100m 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 medallist 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."
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USA's Justin Gatlin (left) bows in front of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt after beating the Olympic record holder in his final 100m race at the World Athletics Championships in London on Saturday. Pic/AP,PTI
'You don't deserve boos'
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."
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."
Gatlin was loudly jeered by the sell-out 60,000 crowd at the London Stadium, where Bolt's victory over him at the 2012 Olympics was hailed as triumph of 'good over evil' given the American's doping-tainted past.
'Bolt inspires many'
"Usain has accomplished so much in our sport and inspired others like Coleman to come out and compete in the championships.
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. The people who love me, they're cheering for me. They're at home cheering for me and my coaching manager is cheering for me, and that's what I've been focusing on. I thought of all the things I would do if I won, and I didn't do any of that. It was almost like 2004 all over again."
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