As it all ended in agony for their hero an ecstatic London crowd hailed new ones in the Olympic Stadium last night after the British team of CJ Ujah, Adam Gemili, Daniel Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake powered away from Usain Bolt’s Jamaica and Justin Gatlin’s USA to claim gold in the 4x100 metres relay.
Amidst the joy the sight of Bolt pulling up lame midway through an anchor leg he had begun with too much to do, perhaps causing him to over-strained his retiring legs as a result, briefly almost went unnoticed, Mitchell-Blake and the USA’s individual silver medallist Christian Coleman having been given hefty leads over him as they took their batons.
In the end the world’s greatest ever sprinter was too proud to get into the wheelchair that was brought onto the track to pick him up as the British team celebrated on a night that brought a badly needed rush of medals.
Earlier in the women’s 4x100 metres relay the British quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita had become the first home athletes other than Mo Farah to make any impression on the medal table when they claimed silver behind the USA.
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