On a febrile night of track and field, Mo Farah’s own finale ended with 5,000m silver as he was beaten in a global final for the first time in six years.

But with the young GB women’s sprint quartet storming to a silver of their own it felt like a generational shift as the stadium came alive just as it had at the 2012 Olympics.

Never before has a British team won a world sprint gold, but the quartet of CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran a near-perfect race to hold off the fancied US team, with Japan taking bronze as Bolt collapsed halfway down the home straight.

It was a horrible way for Bolt to end his career, suffering a muscle cramp as he attempted to chase down the two men in front of him.

A wheelchair was brought to his side before he was helped to his feet and managed to limp away, but it means he leaves his final championship with only a bronze from the individual 100m.

British sprint stars deliver for home crowd

Farah’s defeat had threatened to suck the noise out of the packed stadium, with Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris holding off his desperate late charge to become the first man to beat the Briton in a major final since his compatriot Ibrahim Jeilan did so over 10,000m at the 2011 Worlds in Daegu.

But then the British quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita went one better than their bronze at the Rio Olympics a year ago to take a brilliant silver behind the USA in 42.12 seconds, Jamaica with bronze as that country’s disappointing World Championships continued.

The host nation had only Farah’s 10,000m gold to show for the first eight days of competition, the mood reflective rather than celebratory as the team racked up five fourth places.

In the space of 15 minutes, that mood was transformed.

Britain’s men had looked smooth in qualification on Saturday morning, and they then produced their best to shock the American favourites and light up the London Stadium.

Ujah got out of the blocks brilliantly, his reaction time to the gun of 0.124 secs the best in the field, before Gemili – who only a few weeks ago at the national trials looked a shadow of the athlete who finished fourth over 200m in Rio – powered down the back straight.

With each baton change exemplary, Talbot backed up the personal best he ran in the individual 200m with a fine bend, before Mitchell-Blake held his nerve and form to keep 100m silver medallist Christian Coleman at bay.

Not since GB’s team won gold at the Athens Olympics 13 years ago have they delivered in such glorious style, the display a vindication for both the practice the team have put in and the closeness between the individual components.

‘We are world champs!’

CJ Ujah: “I am proud of these guys and those behind the scenes. It is crazy to do this in London. I can’t even talk right now.”

Adam Gemili: “We are world champs. To run it with Danny Talbot after such disappointment in London 2012, it is so special to come back. Thank you to everyone. It’s crazy. Honestly a dream and a reality tonight. Wow.”

Danny Talbot: “2012 didn’t go our way and we have been working hard since then. It’s a massive team effort and we win as a team and lose as a team. We are world champions at home. We will never get this feeling again.”

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake: “I wasn’t sure if I had won or not, I gave it my all but I could see Christian Coleman out of the corner of my eye. The feeling of euphoria was from infinity. I can’t register it. We smashed the British record to pieces.”

Bolt’s sorry farewell

Jamaica had been in third when Bolt took the baton, and the Usain of old would have believed he could have chased his rivals down.

But in his valedictory season, the three-time Olympic 100m and 200m champion is no longer the force he was, even as his draw remains undimmed.

And 50 metres down the straight, he grimaced and pulled up before collapsing into his lane, his fall lost in the bedlam for the British triumph.

Few had seen the greatest career in athletics history ending like this, and Bolt must now regret not stepping away after his three golds in Rio.

Along with Farah, he has been the untouchable, unbeaten star of the past decade, but the mantle – and the baton – has now passed to the next generation.

Analysis – GB beat everyone fair and square

Eight-time world champion Michael Johnson on BBC One

This wasn’t a win where the USA dropped the baton or Jamaica ran out of the zone – Great Britain beat everyone fair and square. That was an amazing performance in front of a crowd that has been wanting a gold medal.

They delivered it on a night where everyone was here maybe not necessarily to see this – but it is an amazing story for a team who worked really hard.

Adam Gemili was just ridiculous down the back stretch. He opened such up a gap that was always going to be hard for anyone to chase down.

This is a special gift to this crowd and for those guys to go out there and put on a performance like that is fantastic. They deserve this.

We smashed it – GB women

Neita, who held off Jamaica by 0.07 on the anchor leg to take silver in the women’s 4x100m relay, said: “We smashed it. We worked so hard for this.

“I tried my best down that last stretch and I’m glad to bring the team home to silver. We work so hard as a team so we are delighted.”

Dina Asher-Smith, who finished an agonising fourth over 200m after an injury-hit season, added: “To upgrade from Olympic bronze to world silver with these girls has been absolutely incredible, and to do it at home means so much.”

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Source: BBC Sport

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Bolt, who retires after next week’s 4x100m relay, was third behind American Gatlin, who clocked 9.92 seconds, and Christian Coleman (9.94).

Bolt’s 9.95 seconds equalled his best effort of 2017 but he always trailed.

Gatlin – banned twice for doping – was booed before the race and celebrated wildly, holding his hands to his ears.

The 35-year-old – in lane eight – was behind his compatriot Coleman from the blocks but wore down the margin in the closing 20 metres to take his first major title since 2005.

Great Britain’s Reece Prescod – who qualified for his first major final with an impressive time of 10.05 in the semi-final – finished seventh in 10.17.

Despite struggling for fitness and form in his valedictory season, Bolt had still been favourite to secure his 20th global gold.

It was supposed to be Gatlin’s year in 2015, when the American went to the World Championships in Beijing on the back of a 28-race unbeaten run.

Bolt produced his great miracle to beat him that night in the Bird’s Nest, but in the stadium where he won 100m Olympic gold in 2012, he could not provide the perfect ending to a perfect career.

Gatlin, double Olympic champion in Athens in 2004, had been booed every time he went to his blocks at these championships, his doping past making him the cartoon villain of a troubled sport.

He was to have his revenge in spectacular style, standing tall and putting a furious finger to his lips as his win stunned the capacity crowd.

The crowd at the stadium took a little revenge of their own, chanting, “Usain Bolt! Usain Bolt!” as the result began to sink in.

But this was a deserved victory in its execution if not its formation, a last hurrah for a man that many in the sport wished no longer had the chance to compete.

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Source: BBC

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Bolt, an eight-time Olympic champion and icon of world sport, will retire after this month’s World Championships.
The Jamaican, 30, will run in the 100m and 4x100m at the Worlds, which begin in London on Friday.

“Hopefully athletes will see what’s going on and what they need to do to help the sport move forward,” he said.

Referring to the McLaren report, which uncovered evidence of a Russian state-sponsored doping programme, he added: “Personally I think we were at rock bottom. After the scandal on Russia I don’t think it gets any worse than that.
“Over the years we’re doing a better job, it’s getting clean and we’re catching up to a lot of athletes. There’s an understanding that if you cheat you will get caught. Over time the sport will get better.

“I said a couple of years ago it had to get really bad, when there’s nowhere else to go but up. Doping is always a bad thing and it’s never pleasant because you put in the hard work and the sport starts going forward and then you have other guys bringing it back, it’s hard.

“It’s going in the right direction so hopefully it will continue in that direction.”

‘I’m still the fastest’
The men’s World 100m final is on Saturday, 5 August, while the men’s 4x100m relay race – which will mark the end of Bolt’s career – is on the following Saturday.

Bolt has won 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold at the past three Olympic Games – Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
However, his unprecedented ‘triple triple’ of nine gold medals was downgraded to eight after Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter, who was part of the quartet that won the 4x100m in Beijing, tested positive for a banned substance.

Carter has appealed against the decision.

Nevertheless, Bolt’s exploits remain unprecedented and he also holds the world record in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19).

Asked if he still believes he is the fastest in the world, the Jamaican replied: “Yeah, without a doubt.

“The last race I ran was a 9.95, so that shows I am going in the right direction. After the two rounds leading up to the 100m final, which always help me, it’s all about who keeps their nerve.

“I have been here many times. I know I am ready.”
Asked in an interview with BBC Sport whether he believes his world records will be broken, he replied: “I hope they’re not. No athlete would ever wish for that – I want to brag to my kids when they’re in their 20s: ‘See, I’m still the best!
“There is no-one around now, in this era, who can do it. No. Maybe in a couple of years, 10 years, but my records are safe for now.”

Athletics after Bolt
Bolt was also asked which of the current stars of track and field could potentially replace him as the pre-eminent force in the sport.

He named South African 25-year-old Wayde van Niekerk, who will be competing in the 400m and 200m in London.

“Wayde van Niekerk is proving he is a world star. He has broken the 400m world record, he ran the fastest 300m ever, and now he’s doing the 200m also. For me, he’s proving that he can step up to the plate,” said Bolt.

“I’m watching him, we’ve had discussions and he’s a cool person but I’ve told him to open up his personality a little bit because he’s really laid back.”

Bolt after athletics
Bolt says he will miss the “thrill” of being on the track but that it is time for him to slow down and enjoy himself.
“The energy when you first walk out on the track and the people go crazy, that’s what I’ll miss the most,” he said.
He might manage to replace the buzz of competing with one of his hobbies, though.

“I ride quad bikes, that’s an adrenaline rush,” he said.
“But I think it’s time for me to slow down a little, relax a little bit. Enjoy myself as much as possible.”

He says he does not think he will re-consider his retirement as he has nothing left to prove – and of his legacy added that he wanted to be considered among the greatest sports figures of all time.

“I just want to be one of the greats,” he said.
“Whenever there’s a conversation about the greatest sports stars, I want to be part of that conversation. I want people to say: ‘Yeah, Usain Bolt was one of the greatest’.”

Asked if it was his mind or body saying ‘enough’, he replied: “It’s the body, definitely.

“Over the years, I’ve got more niggling injuries than anything else, simple little things, but it’s just because I’m getting older. The pounding means my body’s just deteriorating now, so for me it’s just time to go.”

Source: BBC

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The 30-year-old will bring down the curtain on his illustrious career when he retires in August after the World Championships in London and began his goodbye in front of 30,000 adoring fans in Kingston.

An eight-time Olympic gold medallist, Bolt easily won the ‘Salute a Legend’ race in his first 100m of 2017 but admitted to a rare attack of nerves.

“The run, it was just OK. I must say it was OK. I don’t think I’ve ever been that nervous running a 100m,” he said.

Bolt clocked 10.03 seconds to win before a lap of honour in front of a raucous crowd who danced, waved flags and blew their vuvuzela horns while fireworks lit the sky.

The 100m and 200m world record holder returned to kiss the finishing line before flashing his signature ‘lightning bolt’ pose.

‘It shows that what I’ve done is a big deal’

Bolt may not have been too happy with “possibly one of my worst races” but was more concerned with staying injury free and putting “on a show for the crowd” to show them “I’m thankful for the support over the years”.

He added: “Just the atmosphere and the people, the support they came out and gave me, it was really nerve-racking.

“I never expected this, I knew it was going to be big, the stadium was ram-packed so thank you guys for coming out and supporting me.”

He added: “It’s big to see everybody that turned out. It shows that what I’ve done for the sport is a big deal to them and they really appreciate it.

“So thank you and it was my honour to put the sport of track and field at the top and to continue to dominate.

“I’ll try my best even when I’ve hung up my spikes, to really continue to push track and field in any way possible.”

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and International Association of Athletics Federations president Sebastian Coe were also in attendance.

“When you’re sitting in the pub and you’re having the discussion: who is the greatest footballer? Nobody will agree on that,” Coe said.

“If you have the same discussion around golf or tennis, everybody will have different views.

“It’s a slam dunk. [Bolt] is the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen.”

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Source: BBC

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There can be no denying the worth the towering Jamaican has brought to the sport at a time when it has been hauled over the coals for doping and corruption scandals.

Bolt has won eight Olympic golds and 11 world titles, his sprint dominance importantly matched by a joking, likeable personality that has made him arguably the most marketable sports star in the world.

The ‘elephant in the room’ discussion on who might fill his place is not an easy one.

But one name is constantly mentioned as a potential successor: Canada’s Andre de Grasse.

The 22-year-old Scarborough-born, US-based sprinter won 200m silver and bronzes in both the 100m and 4x100m relay at last year’s Rio Olympics, three races in which Bolt claimed gold.

Speaking after the 200m in Brazil, Bolt backed De Grasse as his successor, the latter adding that the Jamaican said he “feels like I’m the next one, and now I’m just trying to live up to it”.

Not too much pressure to live up to expectations after all-but official anointment as the next world dominating sprinter, then, or is it just motivation?

“It’s a little bit of both,” insisted De Grasse, who will race for the Canadian team in the weekend’s IAAF World Relays in Nassau.

“Of course there’s a little bit more pressure because people are looking at me, but deep down that makes me want to perform.

“But it’s more motivating for me because I’m still young and I know I still have a lot of work to do in this sport to be the best.”

Bolt has opted out of this third edition of the World Relays, with an eye on his swansong world championships in London in August.

And De Grasse, who also won bronzes in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the 2015 Beijing worlds, stressed that he was approaching the relays, which fall early in the season, as “a training session”.

“I love competing with these guys, it’s enjoyable. I’ve known these guys since I started track and field so it’s great to come together at a time like this,” the Canadian said.

Team Canada’s chances in the 4x100m relay, with the added incentive of a place guaranteed at the London worlds for the top eight finishers, depend on the form of strong-looking US and Jamaican teams.

A US quartet featuring Justin Gatlin, also present this time around, notched up a rare victory over a Bolt-led Jamaica in the last World Relays two years ago.

Gatlin is back in the Bahamas eager to notch up further success, while Britain should push the Canadians for a podium place, albeit in the understanding that the baton actually makes it around, never a given.

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Source: AFP

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The Jamaica-born athlete, who switched to represent Great Britain in 2006, won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He was a friend of sprinter Usain Bolt, who was on the scene soon after the crash at 04:20 local time on Thursday.

“Usain Bolt was part of the group that came by and he was very, very emotional, and still is,” said Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen.

Senior Supt Allen, commanding officer of the Jamaican police traffic and highway division, told the BBC: “I understand they are very close friends.”

He was unable to say whether Mason had been in Bolt’s company that evening, or if the eight-time Olympic champion was in a following vehicle.

Mason won Britain’s first athletics medal of the Beijing Games, finishing second behind Russian Andrey Silnov.

British Olympic champions Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Denise Lewis and Linford Christie have all paid tribute, with Christie saying he would never be forgotten.

‘The entire country grieves’

Senior Supt Allen said the former high jumper had been travelling from the direction of the airport towards Kingston when the accident happened.

“Our information suggests he lost control of the motorcycle and fell to the ground and received serious injuries, mainly to his face, head and upper body,” he said.

“The evidence suggests he was not wearing a protective helmet.

“It is a very mournful time in Jamaica. The entire country grieves for this standout athlete. It is very, very sad. We want to express our deepest condolences at the untimely death.”

Jamaica prime minister Andrew Holness tweeted: “Our sincere condolences to the entire sporting fraternity.”

‘A truly lovely man’

Mason claimed world indoor bronze for Jamaica in 2003 and recovered after suffering a career-threatening knee injury the following year.

He was eligible to represent Britain because his father David was born in London, and he switched allegiance two years before the Beijing Games.

On his Olympic debut, he managed 2.34m at his first attempt, with favourite Silnov the only athlete to clear 2.36m.

British Athletics senior high jump coach Fuzz Caan, who worked closely with Mason at the time of his Olympic success, called him an “outstanding athlete and a truly lovely man”.

“He had a wry sense of humour and was a pleasure to be around. He was a great ambassador of British high jumping. It is an honour for us to have him as part of our sporting history,” he said.

UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos said staff were saddened to hear of Mason’s death.

“Our deepest sympathies go to Germaine’s friends, family and the athletics community at this difficult time,” he said.

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Source: BBC

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Source: Eurosport

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He likened his expected victory to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s exceptional track and field exploits, on the first day of his Ashanti Regional Campaign tour.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8DtMhqqHu9QUKdhq5VrC8v9hZmIgagxd”]Addressing the Chiefs and party faithful during a durbar at Adansi Apagya in the New Edubiase Constituency, he said all his contenders were lagging behind him in the presidential race.

“There’s an athlete called Usain Bolt. He is the fastest runner alive. Whenever he takes the lead in a 100 meter race, he turns to look at those lagging behind him and whistles. That is to tell the NPP that the race has already been won. We are already in the lead so it is too late from them to catch up,” President Mahama said.

Dompoase chief urges Mahama to accept outcome

President Mahama’s optimism notwithstanding, the Chief of Dompoase, Okofo Sobin Kai II, urged him to accept the outcome of the 2016 elections in the event that it did not go his way.

The Chief impressed upon the NDC Flagbearer that, “all we need is peace; the kind of peace that will bring us all back here after the elections.”

“We are sure God has already chosen a leader after the elections; so we are pleading with President Mahama to accept the results after December 7 no matter the outcome, as has been done in previous elections.”

“So I am saying whoever loses this year; should accept the results in order not to disrupt the peace we enjoy in this country,” Okofo Sobin Kai II concluded.

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By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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