Good chance of Jamaica's sprint king Usain Bolt quitting after next year's Olympic Games in Brazil, but could be persuaded by sponsors to continue for one more year
Beijing: Usain Bolt said he might end his glittering career at next year’s Olympics after he completed a world sprint double in Beijing — and got clattered by an electric scooter into the bargain. The towering Jamaican said he was only 50-50 about running at the next World Championships in 2017 in London, and could retire at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics instead.
Usain Bolt poses with his gold medal during the men’s 200 metres presentation at the World Championships in Beijing yesterday. PIC/AFP
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“After Rio, as I said, my sponsors want me to go one more year, but my coach said, ‘listen to me, if you’re not going to be serious about going to the World Championships in London,’ then I shouldn’t do it,” he said.
“So it’s all about how I feel after Rio, if I feel I can really put my body through one more season. If I’m going to be focused and I’m going to be determined. That will determine if I compete after Rio. So we’ll see how it goes.” Bolt, troubled by pelvic problems this year, was pushed all the way by Justin Gatlin in Sunday’s 100m, but had an easier ride in the 200m as he beat the American by nearly two-tenths of a second. It was the fourth consecutive world 200m title for the 29-year-old, who has won all but one world and Olympic sprint competitions since he lit up the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Chinese cameraman Tao Song, who knocked down Usain Bolt on Thursday, presents the champion a gift during the victory ceremony for the men’s 200m in Beijing yesterday. PIC/AFP
However, Bolt’s celebrations came to a sticky end at the Bird’s Nest stadium on Thursday when a TV cameraman riding an electric scooter lost control and ploughed into him from behind, sending the Jamaican flying.
‘Think about insurance’
“I probably should get my legs insured,” smiled the six-times Olympic champion. “It was pretty scary when it happened but accidents happen.” Footage of the incident quickly went viral, with ‘Segways’, referring to the electric scooter, trending on Twitter yesterday. Some Chinese Internet users commented that the cameraman was the only person who was able to take down Bolt in Beijing. ‘The only guy in the world who can defeat Bolt,’ a user with the handle ‘Sehun’ posted on his Twitter-style weibo account.
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