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Sunday 23 August 2015

Usain Bolt strikes gold to retain his World Championship crown in 100m final to fend off the challenge of drugs cheat Justin Gatlin

Bolt (centre) manages to duck and cross the line ahead of Gatlin (bottom) during the electric World Championships 100m final in China
As Usain Bolt fulfilled his final media duties inside the Bird's Nest stadium after winning 100m gold, with cleaners tidying around him and a security team sweeping the infield one of his diehard fans draped in the Jamaican flag screamed: 'Yes Usain Bolt, thank you man!'
Over the years Bolt's victories on the global stage, now nine World Championships and six Olympic gold medals, have inspired awe and disbelief but never such an outpouring of gratitude.
Talk of him saving the sport by beating one doper in Justin Gatlin might be a tad overstated. After all there are still 66 convicted drugs cheats in Beijing and four of them took up a lane in the 100m final alone. It will take considerably more than 9.79sec, Bolt's winning time, to solve a problem of that magnitude.
Scroll down to watch Bolt beat Gatlin in 100m final 

Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt celebrates in the Bird's Nest Arena having won the 100m final at the World Championships on Sunday
Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt celebrates in the Bird's Nest Arena having won the 100m final at the World Championships on Sunday
Bolt (centre) manages to duck and cross the line ahead of Gatlin (bottom) during the electric World Championships 100m final in China
Bolt (centre) manages to duck and cross the line ahead of Gatlin (bottom) during the electric World Championships 100m final in China
Bolt poses for the cameras with a smile on his face having retained his World Championship 100m title in Beijing in a tight race
Bolt poses for the cameras with a smile on his face having retained his World Championship 100m title in Beijing in a tight race

But by defeating the unashamed American, banned twice for drugs offences and utterly unrepentant, he landed a significant blow for clean athletes rallying against the dopers who steal their medals and in turn their money.
The winning margin was just 0.01sec, with Gatlin taking silver in 9.80sec, but it was probably the most symbolically important hundredth of a second in athletics' history. The hero had beaten the villain and the sense of relief in the posh seats, where those charged with protecting the image of the sport were stationed, was palpable.
'I've shown the world that it is possible to succeed clean. I have worked my hardest, I have pushed myself, I've been doing it for years.' said Bolt.
He almost missed out on athletics' morality play altogether after stumbling out of the blocks in the semi-final but managed to stay upright and win in 9.96sec to advance.
'I just almost fell,' said Bolt, 'but after the semi finals my coach [Glen Mills] said: 'listen, you are thinking about it too much, there's too much on your mind, all you have to do is remember that you've been in this position a million times so just go out there, relax and get it done' and 

Via - Daily mail

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