Bolt graces Monaco on farewell run
Sprinting's self-anointed living legend Usain Bolt will go through his paces in the 100 metres on Friday night at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco. It will be his penultimate competition before he retires next month.
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The 30-year-old Jamaican has struggled to produce his best form this season. He ran 10.03 seconds in his home town of Kingston and 10.06 seconds in Ostrava in the Czech Republic in his only two outings.
The performances are well astray of the American Christian Coleman who boasts a world-leading time of 9.82 which he recorded in Oregon last month.
"The weather is great here in Monaco so hopefully I can perform at my best," added Bolt, who will line up against South Africa's Akani Simbine and American Christopher Belcher.
Sluggish times in the prelude to a major championship now seem part of the Bolt cant. There was slowness before the world championships in Beijing two years ago with Justin Gatlin in bristling good nick. Come the showdowns though, it was Bolt who brandished the gold medals for the 100 and 200 metres in the Chinese capital. The American had to console himself with silvers.
Bolt forward two years and it appears to be rewind time. With a touch of wistfulness. "Every race is going to be emotional this season," said Bolt. "These are my last races in competition in front of all the wonderful people. It won't be any different in Monaco because I have always had a good crowd and I've always got a lot of love in Monaco."
He's also got a lot of medals. Eight Olympîc golds and 11 world championship golds dating back to 2008. He is the only man to have won three successive Olympic sprint doubles.
It was during the London 2012 Games that Bolt became involved in a spat with Jacques Rogge, the then boss of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
As the reigning Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion, Bolt was asked before the 100 metres final if would be considered a legend if he were to win the race. Bolt responded by saying he would regard himself a living legend only with the 100 and 200 metres successfully defended.
Rogge suggested that Bolt should wait until the end of his career before conferring such lustre on his own highness.
That didn't go down well with the athlete and once the 200 metres had been claimed, he challenged Rogge. "What else do I need to do to prove myself as a legend? I've won both the 100 and 200 metres twice at the Olympics. I've won world championship gold medals. I've broken world records many times so I don't know what else to do really."
No one has dared to doubt Bolt's status since he claimed a hat trick of spint doubles at Rio in 2016. That success and Bolt's charisma have enabled him to transcend athletics.
There is a brand Bolt. The bigwigs at the IOC - which organises the Olympic Games and the IAAF - which stage the biennial world championships - have been happy with the coverage that Bolt brings the sport. At the same time, they have been worrying about the aftermath of his departure and the vacuum it will inevitably bring.
Wayde van Niekerk has been tipped as the athlete to occupy the void. The 25-year-old South African will appear in Monaco in the 400 metres. He is in good form.
He won the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on 6 July in 43.62 seconds. That mark was the world record holder's third fastest time of his career and it followed personal bests in the 100m and 200m in June.
"I've still got quite a long way to go before I even get close to the heights that Usain has reached," said van Niekerk on the eve of his Monaco race. "It's really just for me to keep on doing what I'm doing and hopefully I can reach the heights that he has and maybe even try and come close to the times that he's run. He's been a massive inspiration."
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