Usain Bolt Admits His Final Loss to Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman Had Nothing to Do With Injury

Usain Bolt Admits His Final Loss to Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman Had Nothing to do With Injury

Usain Bolt Admits His Final Loss to Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman Had Nothing to Do With Injury

Abigael Wafula 19:35 - 03.09.2025

Usain Bolt has revealed the true reason behind his 2017 World Championships loss to Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, making clear it was not due to injury.

The fastest man alive, Usain Bolt, has revealed the real reason he lost the men’s 100m race in his final World Championships in 2017 in Great Britain.

Usain Bolt finished third behind Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, and initially, the world believed that it was due to the injury, but there was more to that.

The 11-time world champion then pulled up with an injury in the men’s 4x100m and could not finish the race, closing the curtains on his illustrious career.

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Usain Bolt: My Doctor Warned Me

Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt

The eight-time Olympic champion pointed out that he had not trained well for the World Championships since he had lost a close friend, and he spent most of his time grieving.

Usain Bolt noted that at the time, his doctor advised him not to compete at the World Championships since he was not in great shape, but he had to show up for his fans and sponsors.

Usain Bolt added that he was not shocked when he got injured since he had already been warned by his doctor.

“In my last season, my doctor told me, ‘Do not go. You’re not in good shape. You’re not ready. If you go and you push yourself, you will get injured.’ I was like, ‘I have to go. Everybody is expecting me.’ So, it wasn’t a massive surprise [that he tore a hamstring in his final race],” Usain Bolt revealed, as per The Times.

“One of my very close friends died in 2017. Grieving and speaking about it were so important for me. Spending time with all the people that we hung out with helped me to deal with it.

“So, I didn’t train as much as I wanted to before my last world championships. That’s why I wasn’t in shape, and why the doctor said, ‘Do not go.’”

Usain Bolt admitted that he had wanted to retire a year earlier, explaining that his main goal was to win three Olympics, and once he had achieved that, he felt ready to hang up his boots.

Usain Bolt added that he had told himself he needed to retire after the Olympics. However, he revealed that pressure from sponsors and fans convinced him to compete for one more season, adding that they kept urging him to come back. He described it as a rough season in which he lacked his usual motivation.