Usain Bolt, widely heralded as the most successful track athlete of all time and the fastest human ever recorded, has lost his unique claim to being the only sprinter in history to complete the ‘triple triple’ after he had one of his nine Olympic golds taken away on Wednesday because of the actions of a teammate. Bolt completed the feat with victory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay events at the Olympic game in Beijing, London and Rio, but now only has eight medals to show for his efforts after 2008 teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance.
Under the continuing doping scandal that is currently rocking athletics and other Olympics sports, Carter’s was one of the 454 samples retested by the International Olympic Committee, and after traces of the banned substance methylhexanamine, a stimulant, were discovered, the organisation have took the decision the remove the medals of all four members of the Jamaican team. Carter is himself the sixth-fastest 100m sprinter of all time, and is a three-time world champion in the event, as well as a gold medallist alongside Bolt at London 2012, a medal which they both retain following the findings.
What is methylhexaneamine?
- A stimulant that can enhance sporting performance
- Originally used as a recreational drug in New Zealand
- Commonly sold today as a dietary supplement
Neither athlete had commented on this latest development at the time of writing, but Bolt had previously said he would accept the need to hand back his medal if Carter was found in breach of the rules. It will no doubt be a big disappointment to the 30-year-old, however, who has previously been championed as an example of athletic excellence without the need for performance enhancing drugs through the recent scandal, and who has been considered a role model within the sport at a time when it finds itself in one of its darkest hours.
The Jamaican disqualification follows the ongoing controversy involving Lord Coe’s role in unveiling the continuing doping scandal within the sport. The former British athlete, now President of the IAAF, has said he will return to Parliament to give evidence to the committee on Culture, Media and Sport, but only if he knows what they intend to ask him beforehand. Even during this quieter time of the year for athletics, this scandal, which has been bringing the sport into disrepute for so long, continues to roll on.
John Gibby
Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images