In what was expected to be the biggest event till date in IAAF World Championships history, the men’s 100m lived up to expectations, making sure the spectators at the London Olympic Stadium and world at large stood sill, in order to experience the final individual race of world’s fastest man ever, Usain Bolt.
The buzz around the world wasn’t just about witnessing the most spectacular athletics night ever, but also to know if the legendary Jamaican will add another Gold medal to end his remarkable athletics career, one he has dominated since his World Record (WR) breaking performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
However, things were not to be for the multiple World Champion, as he bowed to the defeat of not just one but two American athletes in the stacked field event.
Justin Gatlin sped off from the start and made sure there was no repeat of his stumbling mistake two years ago in Beijing, which saw him win a Silver medal, by clinching his second World Title, clocking a Season’s Best (SB) of 9.92s.
This was an outstanding performance from the US Champion, considering he has not competed at major meets this season, and has not won a major outdoor title since his Gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki; it is also the first time ever he’ll defeat Bolt in his career after several efforts of upstaging the WR holder.
World Leader Christian Coleman, who was making his debut at the World Championships, also stunned Bolt by defeating him twice at the Championship. First it was in the semis where he clocked 9.98s for the win, before coming back in the final to take the Silver medal in 9.94s.
Bolt who throughout the three stages of the 100m event couldn’t quite get his start, and had to do the catching up on all his three races, settled for the Bronze medal in 9.95s. This of course is a major upset, considering he has not lost a championship final since 2008.
Though ‘lightning Bolt’ as fondly called didn’t end his career on a winning note, but the prowess he brought to the sport cannot be over emphasized. That there’ll be another or replacement of him in future is still a statement that’ll stay unanswered for a very long time.
