Usain Bolt’s dominance didn’t need a fairy-tale ending

In his final race, Usain Bolt got a photo finish, not the fairy-tale finish everyone had hoped for. It was a disappointing end to an incredible individual’s career that we may never see the likes of again — but Bolt didn’t need the perfect ending to cement himself as one of the greatest runners of all time.

On Saturday night in London, Bolt lost to Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, securing third in the men’s 100m final.

The crowd showered the track with boos as Gatlin celebrated. It was unclear whether they were upset Bolt didn’t win, Gatlin won, or the entire situation in general. Most are assuming the crowd detested Gatlin due to failed drug tests in the past — but there’s no doubt that fans had hoped to see a narrative finish with the ending everyone thought it would, but Bolt was too slow out of the blocks.

When it was all said and done, there was nothing but respect between the runners, especially Gatlin who praised the legend.

After the race, Gatlin explained what Bolt has meant to the sport, and to him.

“He’s inspired me to be a better, faster competitor, and I’ve only wished every year that I could be his top rival. We’ve grown so much respect for each other throughout the years. I think a lot of people in the media think we have a bitter rivalry and we hate each other, whereas it’s the opposite. We joke around, we go to all the parties together, and we keep it low key. It’s a gentleman’s rivalry and I have nothing but respect for him.”

This isn’t really a torch being passed. Rather, it’s a new chapter. Gatlin is older than Bolt, and it’s unclear how much longer he might race. The future of sprinting appears to be in the hands of Coleman, the 21-year-old who also beat Bolt — finishing second in London, and with his entire career ahead of him — but still there’s no indication he’ll be able to reach the heights of Bolt.

To understand just how dominant Usain Bolt has been you just need to look at the records. This image, posted on Reddit, shows the fastest 100m times in history, with runners crossed out who were found to have been doping.

We might never see someone like him again.