Usain Bolt Continues Golden Run, Stopped Only By Motorized Scooter

Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, has continued his string of victories with his fourth straight win at the Worlds in Beijing. It seems that not much can stop Usain Bolt… except for a cameraman on a motorized scooter.

Not only did Usain Bolt capture the 100 m sprint title again, where he edged out American rival Justin Gatlin by 0.01 seconds, he also snagged the 200 m title. It seems that the Jamaican sprinter is showing that he is well on his way to the 2016 Rio Games, but no one could have predicted that he would have been grounded – albeit temporarily – by a two-wheeled motorized scooter.

The cameraman, Tao Song of CCTV, crashed into Usain Bolt from behind while Bolt was celebrating his victory in the 200 m race. Bolt landed on his back, flipped over and regained his footing. He briefly held his left leg, but later told reporters that he was all right. Jokingly, Usain Bolt tried blaming Gatlin for the incident.

“The rumour I’m trying to start right now is that Justin Gatlin paid him off. So, that’s what I’m going with,” Bolt said.

Gatlin took Usain Bolt’s humor in stride, telling reporters he wanted a refund since the cameraman “didn’t complete the job.”

According to The New York Times, the cameraman inadvertently ran over a bolt, ironically enough, from a camera rail, and that caused the vehicle he was on to veer unexpectedly to the right. The cameraman accidentally clipped Usain Bolt from behind.

After Usain Bolt realized he was uninjured by the accident, he returned to the cameraman to ensure he was all right.

Usain Bolt has struggled with back and other injuries in the lead up to his competitive season, but appeared to come back in peak form for the meets he was scheduled to compete in. Gatlin was actually the favorite coming into the Worlds because of posting the fastest times of the season for both races that Bolt actually beat him in – the 100 m and 200 m sprints.

Usain Bolt has won 10 global medals since blowing away the competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been thought of as the fastest man in the world almost from the moment he arrived on scene.

The cameraman who took Usain Bolt out – at least for a few moments – has not appeared to comment about the incident, but for now at least, it would appear that Usain Bolt is well on his way to Rio 2016. The rivalry between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin is sure to continue for the rest of the season as the two sprinters continue to make their way through the next series of races.

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)