Painful end to Bolt's last race

London

THE loudest roar of the world track and field championships here came on Saturday as Usain Bolt lay facedown on the track and in great pain. After taking the baton from his teammate Yohan Blake to run the anchor leg of Jamaica's 4x100-metre men's relay at the IAAF World Championships, Bolt began to gather speed only to pull up and shout in pain from what appeared to be a left leg injury about 60 metres from the finish line.

It was hardly the farewell party that Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history, had in mind when he decided to make this meet the final one of his career. His exit would normally have cast a pall over the rest of the race, but it has been a frustrating meet for Britain, the host country. And with Bolt on the ground and the Jamaicans out of contention, the gold came down to a sprint for the finish between Christian Coleman of the United States and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain.

Britain won by 0.05 of a second, finishing in 37.47 seconds to the Americans' 37.52. As the official results flashed on the big screen, the crowd cheered wildly for Britain's second gold medal of these championships. Meanwhile, Bolt's teammates rushed to help him as he lay on the track, in the same stadium where he and his teammates set the world record in this event, 36.84 seconds, at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Kevin Jones of the Jamaican team said his preliminary diagnosis was that Bolt had suffered an acute muscle cramp in his left hamstring, although he could not rule out the possibility of a muscle tear. He said a slight delay in the start of the race - due to the length of two medal ceremonies that preceded it - might have contributed to Bolt's situation. "It was cold back there, and the guys were complaining," he said.

Bolt won three gold medals at the London Games, confirming his status as one of the greatest Olympians in history. He added three more golds at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but this season proved to be one too far for Bolt, who will turn 31 this month. At these championships, he had to settle for a bronze medal in the 100-metre race. And then came the relay.

He put on a good show before the race, joking with the mascot in the corridor leading to the track and playing to the crowd once he emerged from the tunnel. But there would be no grins or laps of honour after this relay was run, and if this was indeed his final official race, it was hardly a reflection of the mood and victories that preceded it.

Bolt looked anything but invulnerable as he grabbed at his left leg, shouting an oath while his rivals continued to accelerate. And though he was eventually able to rise to his feet and hobble across the finish line long after the race ended, with his Jamaican teammates walking slowly beside him, he soon dropped to the track again and grimaced. He later rose again and limped away. He left with 14 career medals in the world championships, 11 of them gold. But there was no final flourish for a man who has been not only one of global sport's great athletes but one of its great entertainers, as well. NYTIMES