Agony for Usain Bolt as he pulls up injured in track farewell
(CNN)Usain Bolt's farewell appearance at the world championships ended in painful and disastrous fashion as he pulled up injured on the final leg of the men's 4x100m relay Saturday.
Bolt took the baton for Jamaica in third place but within a few strides he had fallen to the ground, clutching his left leg, as host Britain secured a shock gold ahead of a United States team containing Justin Gatlin.
Bolt falls to the track on the final leg of the sprint relay.
The 30-year-old Bolt, beaten into third in the individual 100m behind Gatlin and his US team compatriot Christian Coleman, was comforted by teammates after getting to his feet, his face etched in pain.
The capacity crowd in the London Stadium was still digesting the shock earlier defeat for home hero Mo Farah in the men's 5,000m final, before the drama of Bolt's last agonizing appearance.
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He had been bidding for a 12th world championship gold to bring down the curtain on his glittering career, but instead limped out of the London Stadium arena.
Victory for the British quartet of CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili, who ran a storming second leg, Daniel Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake was stunning compensation for Farah's earlier defeat.
They won in 37.47 seconds, with the US taking silver at 0.05sec and Japan with a surprise bronze.
The agony is clear for all to see as Bolt is comforted by Jamaican teammates.
For his massive global following, the perfect script would have seen the Bolt of old running down Britain and the US for yet another gold, but it was not to be.
"He didn't tell us exactly what happened but from what I saw, it looked like a strain or a cramp of some sort," teammate Julian Forte told IAAF radio.
"He kept apologizing to us but we told him there was no need to apologize -- injuries are part of the sport."
Jamaican team doctor Dr Kevin Jones told AFP that Bolt had suffered from "cramp in his left hamstring".
"The last three weeks have been hard for him, you know. We hope for the best for him," he added.
News Courtesy: www.cnn.com
