Usain Bolt’s Last Race

Jessica Clot, BURSTOUT CONTRIBUTOR

English and Drama Graduate from Queen Mary.

Full Bio

Jessica is a graduate from Queen Mary, University of London. She has a passion for theatre and drama, and often wrote for CUB magazine, the university's official arts and culture magazine.

Spectatorship, Success, Stardom. 

Usain Bolt, the world’s dream athlete, said his final goodbye at the IAAF World Championships London 2017. Taking everyone by shock, he never managed to race to the finish line in his final appearance.

During the final weekend of the championships, I unexpectedly received last minute tickets to the athletics; I saw Bolt run on the morning of Saturday 12 August, in the Men’s 4x100m relay first round. It is easy to understand why he has gained the nickname ‘Lightning Bolt’ when your eyes try to focus in on this fast-moving speck that gradually overtakes his opponents at such a high speed. It proves with your own eyes that the tales are true. The word ‘history’ implies the past, but as I sat in London Stadium, immersed in a buzzing atmosphere, one person amongst the masses, I was unaware that what I was witnessing, could be classified as history in the making. I witnessed Usain Bolt’s last successfully completed race, 4x100m relay. 

That same evening, I came home and watched on TV, Bolt run for the final time in the 4x100m final relay with his Jamaican team-mates. Running the last leg of the race, it is heart-breaking to watch the footage, limping and stumbling in agony as his hamstring snaps. 

With The Daily Telegraph titling their news story ‘How do you fill vacuum after Bolt’s last hurrah?’, we enter a new era of athletics where no definitive upcoming athlete is ready in waiting to take Bolt’s place as he enters retirement. But was it a last hurrah at all? No one could have predicted or expected the events of Saturday evening to unfold. Unfitting for an eight-time Olympic gold medallist.

The Daily Telegraph’s London 2017 verdict by expert Oliver Brown claimed that ‘Usain Bolt ought to have retired after Rio. Extending to London 2017, as mandated by his sponsors, always felt like a decision where money trumped good sense’. This begs the question, should we be cautious of our own limitations and in recognising when to quit? Success is immeasurable, whilst failure appears more direct, cutting and sharp. 

Renowned for his continual gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres, his compelling personality and iconic signature pose are presently known by many. Let us hope that Bolt’s outstanding body of work will be remembered in future years. Life is unpredictable, but a multitude of world recognised accomplishments, cannot be diminished by one race. 

Without spectators, there is no spectatorship. Without athletes, there are no athletic events. The two are co-dependent and let the race continue to fill his shoes.