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Usain Bolt Loses His Last 100-Meter Race — Sprint Legend Ends Solo Career With A Bronze

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 14:11 PST, Aug 5, 2017

Usain Bolt placed third in the final 100-meter race of his career at the world championships.

The race ended in a tight finish, but American Justin Gatlin came out on top with a time of 9.92 seconds. Gatlin’s U.S. teammate, Coleman, took silver in 9.94 seconds while Bolt claimed the bronze in 9.95.

But despite the break in his winning streak, Bolt did not seem too fazed about his loss, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“It is just one of those things,” Bolt said after the race as he maintained his signature easy-going nature. “It has been brilliant.”

As the L.A. Times reports, Bolt got out of the blocks slowly and was punished for it by Justin Gatlin. But even though Gatlin won, he was booed by the crowd presumably because of his previous doping violations. According to CNN, he was booed when he ran during the heats and the semi-finals as well and it forced him to tune out the crowd in order to concentrate on his races.

The American sprinter has had to bow out of competing twice in his career because of doping penalties. His career was on an upward trajectory until Bolt came on the scene and dominated the sprinting world for the next 13 years. Now, in an inspiring career turnaround, he’s come back to beat his rival.

But Gatlin did not forget to celebrate Bolt’s awe-inspiring career in sprinting. He bowed to Usain after the race. It was a fine display of sportsmanship to commemorate the end of an era.

As CNN reports, the crowd also got a treat when Bolt celebrated as he showed off his signature “to the world” pose after the race. Even though he lost, he was still the brightest star of the night.

The 100-meter race wasn’t the last race of Usain Bolt’s career. He will run the 4 x 100 meter relay on August 12. Bolt and his Jamaican teammates hold the title from last year, and if they win, it will bring his world championship gold medal tally to 12. Ending that race with a win would be a more fitting send-off for Usain Bolt.

Do you think that Usain Bolt and the Jamaican team will win the relay at the world championships? Do you think that the loss in the 100-meter race dulls some of the shine off his otherwise sprinting career? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images]

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