"I was happy": Usain Bolt makes his stance clear about losing to Christian Coleman and Justin Gatlin in the last race of his career

Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt and Christian Coleman | Getty Images

Usain Bolt expressed his thoughts about losing the final major professional race of his career in 2017 to Christian Coleman and Justin Gatlin. The Jamaican athlete revealed that he was content with the result but was way more impressed by Christian Coleman's performance, who was fresh out of high school back then.

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Bolt made his final World Championship appearance in 2017 in London and he competed in the 100m and the 4x100m relay. The Jamaican athlete could not continue his winning streak in the 100m and finished third with a performance of 9.95s whereas he could not finish the race in the 4x100m relay after due to a hamstring injury and collapsed on the track.

The Olympic gold medalist spoke about his appearance in the 100m finals in his latest appearance in the 'Ready Set Go' podcast hosted by Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green. Usain Bolt revealed that he was impressed by Christian Coleman's strong start and overall performance. Moreover, he expressed his elation on witnessing a youngster win such a prestigious medal.

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“Listen, I was happy. You know what I mean? I was, to let the young cat win, aw man. You didn't want Coleman to win? No, he's just out of college, bro. He just was out of college, for real. He just got out of college. And I hugged him outside, bro. So happy that you won, I couldn't manage for this young kid to win," he said (1:25:10)
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"No, because remember, he's good at starts. And Coleman is way better than him. That guy's start is ridiculous, man. When he got out, he was like five minutes in front of me before I just got up. Yeah. You know what I mean?" he added.
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When Usain Bolt made his stance clear about losing in his final race as a professional athlete

Usain Bolt at the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 - Day Ten - Source: Getty
Usain Bolt at the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 - Day Ten - Source: Getty

Usain Bolt took to X to share a clarification about losing his final race as an athlete. The Jamaican athlete shared images of his hamstring injury and addressed the claims that he had lost the race purposely. Bolt revealed that he would never cheat his fans by lying to them.

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He revealed that he had an hamstring tear and was advised a three month rehab by the doctors.

"Sadly I have a tear of the proximal myotendinous junction of biceps femoris in my left hamstring with partial retraction. 3 months rehab," he wrote.
"I don't usually release my medical report to the public but sadly I have sat and listened to people questioning if I was really injured. I have never been one to cheat my fans in anyway & my entire desire at the championship was run one last time for my fans," he added.

Furthermore, he thanked his fans for their unwavering support throughout his career spanning over a decade and three Olympic games.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee
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