Usain Bolt, perhaps the greatest sprinter ever, was hoping to ride off into the sunset with a successful showing at this year’s world championships in London. His farewell meet took an unexpected turn when he finished in third place at last week’s 100-meter dash final. On Saturday, in the concluding race of his career, the disappointing results continued with the Jamaican falling down during the 4×100 relay final. Bolt – running the anchor leg – pulled up with an apparent cramp to his left hamstring. He limped for a few moments before falling to a heap on the track. His fellow teammates came to his assistance and Bolt eventually was able to get back on his feet and limp off the track. “It’s a cramp in his left hamstring, but a lot of the pain is from disappointment from losing the race,” Jamaican team doctor Kevin Jones said. “The last three weeks have been hard for him, you know. We hope for the best for him.” The host country, Great Britain, finished first in 37.47 seconds, followed by the United States (37.52) and Japan (38.04).
This is a heartbreaking end to a career in which the 33-year-old has set world records in the 100m and 200m sprints and taken home an astonishing eight Olympic gold medals.-Vikram Bodas