When Usain Bolt ran the final leg of the 4×100 Men’s relay at the World Championships at London, there was no expectation from the British quartet of Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake to come anywhere close to the podium let alone stun the world with gold medal. Jamaica with Bolt running the anchor leg would have still been considered strong candidates and with the stadium in unison cheering the final ever race of the legendary sprinter, it would be unsurprising if many would have still left disappointed despite the home quartet winning.Bolt,the greatest sprinter of all time, pulled short of the finish with a cramp and did not finish the race as he took the baton behind the Brits at the final changeover.
That wouldn’t have been the dream of billions after the Jamaican thunderbolt had excited everyone across the globe with his theatrics and plaudits.Winning the triple double in Beijing, London and Rio and with such style and fervour, he won hearts everywhere he sprinted.What might have been a perfect swansong had a lot to say about the fitness of the 31 yr old.He only competed in the 100 metres earlier in the Championships and showed signs of struggle in the semis against a buoyant Christian Coleman.In the final, it was an anti climax of sorts though as his adversary Justin Gatlin who was defamed due to his previous doping counts claimed the gold ahead of Coleman and Bolt in 9.92 seconds.He then in an act of humility bowed to the King himself.The speculation continues.Maybe he left it too late to retire.Maybe Rio was the perfect time.
Whilst Bolt didn’t get any golds in his final championships,it wasn’t a tourney of double golds in any case.Mo Farah in the 5k’s(silver) and Dafne Scippers in the 100 metres ( bronze) missed a second gold after winning the 10k’s and 200 metres sprint respectively.It was Mo’s final championships as well and he left the home crowd buzzing with his opening night gold as the hosts eyed success from Rio.
In the absence of Bolt’s gold medal performance as well David Rudisha missing the championships , many turned to predicting potential successors to the throne. Those who will carry some of the elements of his legacy onto Tokyo in 2020. One such candidate was Wayde Van Niekerk from South Africa,the 400 metre record holder from Rio last year.
Wayde’s record breaking run in the single track lap of 43.03 from nowhere breaking another legend Michael Johnson’s record still echoes his credits going into London championships.Wayde cruised in the heats as well as the main event.With 0.43 of a second win in the final over Steven Gardiner of Jamaica, Wayde now confirms his place as the one of the top athletes again at a premier track championships.His smooth style was apparent in London however he also fell short of taking a second gold in 200 metres falling to Ramil Guliyev of Turkey by 0.02 seconds. Something to look forward to in Tokyo 2020,possibly.
Having no Rudisha left the 800 metres a bit of an open contest.Pierre -Ambrose Bosse of France took the gold.As regards to the women,Marie Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast took a sprint “silver” double in 100 and 200 metres losing to Tori Bowie in the 100 metres in addition to Dafne Schippers in the 200 metres who both blitzed to gold in their races.In the 400 metres, Alyson Felix reign ended with a loss to her compatriot Phyllis Francis whilst Castor Semanya solidified another gold in the 800 metres with national record.
It wasn’t the most eventful of championships for some, but USA looked as usual in top form claiming 30 medals,10 of them gold.Kenya had 5 golds in their tally of 11.South Africa had three golds in their six medals and were the other top performers.A sorrowful end to Bolt in his career which will stay illuminated by his accolades but definitely a void is left for many to fill in the next championships that will take place in Doha in 2019.Wayde will be quick to lead that filler role.
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