Bolt: 'I’ve shown it is possible to run fast without drugs'

Usain Bolt, who won the third 100m gold medal in Beijing and the ninth world championship gold medal of his extraordinary career on Sunday night, admitted the 2015 world championship 100 metres final was his hardest race.

Usain Bolt wins third 100m gold medal in Beijing, 23 August 2015 Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Near the magnificently imposing Drum Tower in central Beijing runs the Shajing Hutong. There, during the last throes of the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century, Kui Jun, the minister of the imperial household department, owned a complex of apartments. One of them is now home to the Beijing cultural relic protection unit.

Members of that team should have been on standby on Sunday night to pick up the pieces in the event of Usain Bolt losing his 100 metres final to Justin Gatlin.

So many ideals and aspirations would have been shattered with the demise of the self-styled living legend.

Bolt is old world. He seems to run for fun. However his collection of titles is no laughing matter. He has a serious hoard of metals. He possesses six Olympic gold medals. He is the only man to have retained an Olympic sprint double – hence the auto anointment. And as a result of his victory in the Bird’s Nest stadium, he has nine world championship golds. Of the four heavyweights contesting the showdown, three have been banned for taking performance enhancing drugs.

Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell were all threats to Bolt’s defence of his world championship crown. They had enjoyed dazzling seasons while Bolt had been pursued by injuries. Of the troika demonised as ‘dirty’ by pundits and commentators seeking perceptible lines of division, Gatlin came closest to dethroning the sprint king. Only 0.01 of a second separated the men who provided one of the most compelling narratives to glower over a world championship meeting.

Two years ago drugs were high on the agenda. Gay and Powell were reeling from testing positive for illegal substances and were so banned from the Moscow championships while Gatlin was just returning to competition after serving his second suspension.

This time in Beijing they were all there. Gay and Powell finished sixth and seventh respectively. Gay, at 33, and 32-year-old Powell probably know the jig is up, moreso since the joint bronze medallists Trayvon Bromell and Andre de Grasse are both only 20 and only likely to get faster.

But while the disgraced repent, Bolt used yet another moment in the sun to make a statement of intent.

“I’ve shown the world it is possible to run fast without taking drugs,” he declared. “I’ve worked hard and I’ve pushed myself. I have a great coach and I’m thankful because he helps me through everything. It’s all about hard work and dedication.”

But Bolt, who celebrated his 29th birthday just before the start of the world championships, admitted the 2015 world championship 100 metres final was his hardest race. “I’ve been through a lot this season,” he recalled. “It has been rough. Justin has been running great, running fast times. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’ve learned one thing over the years: when Justin Gatlin comes to a championship he comes to win. I knew that if I wanted to win I had to run a great race, a well executed race. I’m happy that I got it done. I’m proud of myself.”

Bolt’s races are likely to get harder. His winning margins since his Beijing Olympics triumph in 2008 have been gradually diminishing. Both Bromell and de Grasse idolise him. Bromell said he grew up watching Bolt’s races on YouTube. The two world championship tyros finished in 9.92 seconds and may well surpass the Jamaican before or even at next year’s Olympics.

Bolt, however, is not quite yet ready to be consigned to the heap of athletic relics. “My aim is to be the best athlete ever. To be among the greats,” he said. “That’s my aim and that’s my focus. If I’m going to do that I have to continue winning, continue dominating the sport. That’s what I want to do. I’m happy that I’ve added one more gold medal to my tally and I will try my best to add more.”

Members of the cultural relic protection unit can now stand down.