Category Archives: Athletics

Articles, Athletics, Sport

“He’s saved his title, he’s saved his reputation… He may have even saved his sport!”

Leave a comment

Rarely can a win have been greeted with such universal euphoria. Usain Bolt, in the words of BBC commentator Steve Cram, had “saved his sport”.

The adulation was not merely a celebration of the greatest sprinter of all-time, it was wide-spread relief that a two-time drug cheat had been denied victory by one hundredth of a second, with Justin Gatlin crossing the line in 9.80 seconds to take silver behind Bolt’s time of 9.79.

Gatlin headed into the 100m World Championship final as the odds-on favourite, having dominated the sport in 2014 and 2015, with Bolt only fit to run the distance three times this season before heading to China.

 

Feeling queasy

Newly appointed head of the IAAF governing body, Sebastian Coe, had admitted that the thought of the 33 year-old American taking gold in Beijing made him feel “queasy”, whilst others seethed that a man who had seemingly not learned from past mistakes was allowed to compete on this stage at all.

Either way, it made for intoxicating theatre; good versus evil – Bolt, a man struggling for technique and fitness, the only one that could deny the corrupt Gatlin, it was the only story in town.

 

Twitter Approval

A gaggle of celebrities (do they come in gaggles?) and parody celebrities took to the Twitter-sphere to share their approval at the result. Here are a few of the best;

–

Is Usain Bolt a real-life Superman? Should people lay off Justin Gatlin? Let us know in the comment section below!

Written by Dom Kureen

As a young rapscallion stranded on an Island, my time is split between writing, performing spoken word, wrestling alligators and delivering uplifting pep talks to hairdressers before they prune me. I meditate and wash daily when possible.