Why Usain Bolt lost his 4x100m Gold medal from Beijing Olympics?
Follow Us
Nesta Carter and Usain Bolt
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Usain Bolt became the first track and field athlete to win three gold medals at three consecutive Games. But the very next year, Bolt was stripped of the Beijing Olympics 4x100m gold medal bringing his Olympic medal tally to eight. Bolt along with his Jamaican teammates lost the medal after Nesta Carter was found guilty of a doping violation.
While Carter had tested negative following the race, his sample was one of many retested by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2017 and it was found to contain a prohibited stimulant, methylhexaneamine. It is standard practice for Olympic officials to store urine samples for up to a decade so they may conduct additional tests with more advanced, newly developed techniques.
Carter’s mistake cost Usain Bolt a gold medal and World record
Usain Bolt’s other two team members in the final were Asafa Powell and Michael Frater. The Jamaican team finished in 37.10 seconds, which was a world record at the time. The doping violation saw Trinidad, Japan and Brazil who were second, third and fourth in the race each move up a place.
When news of Carter’s positive test first emerged last year, Bolt had told, “It’s heartbreaking because over the years you’ve worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion – but it’s just one of those things. If I need to give back my gold medal, I’d have to give it back; it’s not a problem for me.”
Bolt is one of the few athletes to have graced the sport who has not only done wonders but managed to distance himself from the doping scandals. The legendary sprinter hung his boots in 2017 owing to his recurring injuries.
Stay Updated!
Anshuman Mahapatra
(1496 Articles Published)