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APSPT

Hard as this is to believe, there were questions about Usain Bolt when the world championships first started.
Was he healthy enough? Was he fit enough? Was he – gasp! – fast enough?
Yes, yes, and a resounding yes.

Read all our World Athletics Championships coverage here
The Jamaican great left the Bird’s Nest with three more gold medals and ended any suspicions about his dominance. Just in time, too, with the Olympic track competition in Rio de Janeiro starting 49 weeks from now.
All the doubts about Bolt – his fitness, and whether Justin Gatlin might be primed to beat him – only provided more fuel.
“People pretty much counted me out this season,” Bolt said. “They said, ‘He’s not going to make it. That’s it for him.’ I came out and proved you can never count Usain Bolt out. I’m a champion, and I’ll show up when it matters.”

I came out and proved you can never count Usain Bolt out
Usain Bolt
As if there was ever a doubt.
The only thing that tripped him up was a clumsy cameraman who ran into him from behind on a two-wheel motorised vehicle. He even bounced back from that, anchoring the 4x100 relay team to gold after winning the 100 and 200 on his own.
One thing that became clear as the meet went on is that Bolt doesn’t just beat people by being faster, he gets in their heads, too.

Gatlin lost the 100 on a last-second lean that many viewed as a pressure-induced mistake. The U.S. relay team missed the handoff – and Bolt said he pretty much expected that.
“We just know the key thing is just to get the baton around. Doesn’t matter,” Bolt said. “Because the US knows we always have the best team, they tend to panic. Pressure gets to them sometimes.”
Gatlin appears to be the only man with the speed to push Bolt. Beating him is another matter.

“What will it take?” Gatlin said. “It will take staying in front. That’s what it’s going to take.”
Good luck with that.
Here are some other things we learned from the world championships in Beijing:

GIVE ‘EM A HAND
Once again, the Americans struggled getting the baton around the track. The men’s 4x100 relay was disqualified for stepping outside its lane on an exchange between Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers. That marked the eighth time since 1995 the American men have either been disqualified or failed to finish at the worlds or the Olympics. The women’s 4x400 squad wasn’t clean on an exchange between Allyson Felix and Francena McCorory, opening the door for a Jamaican win. The US has gone to camps to fix these foibles. Bottom line: It may simply be between the ears.

KENYA CLASS
Kenya finished with 16 medals – and not one in the men’s marathon. Javelin thrower Julius Yego won the first gold medal in a field event for a country renowned for distance running.

DOUBLE TIME?
Allyson Felix certainly has the fitness to compete in both the 200 and 400 metres. Now she just needs a little help. Currently, there’s not enough recovery time between events. The International Olympic Committee said it will at least consider revising the program.

MORE MO
Just like Bolt, Mo Farah shows no signs of slowing down. The British runner won a third straight long-distance double in Beijing, matching his 5,000-10,000 golds from the 2012 Olympics and the 2013 worlds. With the competition failing to close the gap yet again, Farah is a good bet for a repeat in Rio.

HOME HEROES
China had plenty to cheer about, with Su Bingtian breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters, and reaching a world final – both firsts for his country. The 19-year-old Wang Jianan won a bronze in the long jump in another milestone achievement in the field events. On Sunday, Zhang Guowei won a silver medal in the men’s high jump and Lyu Huihui matched him in the women’s javelin. As for next year’s host, Brazil, there was only one medal winner: Fabiana Murer, who finished second in the pole vault.

DOPING CLOUD
Always a hot topic around the sport. The Kenyans had two runners suspended for doping while at the worlds. Russia’s race-walking program has come under intense scrutiny this year after a German documentary alleged systematic doping. And when Gatlin lost in the 100, he was asked over and over if it was good for track that Bolt beat him. Gatlin served a doping suspension before returning in 2010.


Never doubt Usain Bolt - plus six other things we learned from Beijing World Championships

China’s best-ever World Championships performance bodes well for Rio Olympics

Hong Kong's Christy Yiu 'runs through wall' for respectable marathon finish in world championships debut

Silver lining for home favourites at world athletics championships

2015 IAAF World Championships

Usain Bolt kisses the track after the 200m final. Photo: AFP

Usain Bolt wins the 4x100m relay for Jamaica. Photo: AFP

Usain Bolt jokes with the cameraman who knocked him down. Photo: AFP

Usain Bolt comes a cropper. Photo: AFP

Jamaica celebrate their relay win. Photo: Kyodo

Justin Gatlin congratulates Usain Bolt after the 200m. Photo: AP

Jamaica's relay team take joint selfies. Photo: AP

Usain Bolt finishes ahead of Justin Gatlin in the 100m. Photo: Xinhua

Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers mess up the changeover. Photo: Reuters

Zhang Guowei celebrates his silver medal in the high jump. Photo: Reuters

Allyson Felix after winning the 400m. Photo: Reuters

Joyce Zakary and Kenyan compatriot Koki Manunga were handed provisional doping bans. Photo: Reuters

Mo Farah dominated the distance events once more. Photo: AFP

Julius Yego in action in the javelin. Photo: AFP

Lyu Huihui celebrates her javelin medal. Photo: EPA

Su Bingtian celebrates after the 100m final. Photo: AFP

Gold medalist Liu Hong, left, races alongside compatriot and silver medalist Lu Xiuzhi in the women's 20k race walk. Photo: AP

China's Zhang Guowei celebrates after clearing the bar in the men’s high jump final. Photo: AP

Wang Jianan in action in the long jump. Photo: EPA

Artists perform at the closing ceremony. Photo: AFP

Fans cheer on the last day. Photo: EPA

Lyu Huihui in action in the javelin. Photo: EPA

Christy Yiu has stepped up to longer distances, including the marathon, since dominating 10km races. Photo: Nora Tam

Britain's Mo Farah makes history with 'triple double' in athletics

Britain's Mo Farah celebrates winning the final of the men's 5,000 metres at the world championships in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Mo Farah hits the finish line to win the men’s 5,000 metres at the world championships. Photo: AFP

Ashton Eaton lies exhausted on the track after finishing the 1,500 metres and winning the gruelling decathlon with a new world record. Photo: AFP

Belarus’ Marina Arzamasova (centre) wins the women’s 800 metres ahead of Canada’s Melissa Bishop and Kenya’s Eunice Jepkoech Sum. Photo: AFP

Russia’s Maria Kuchina sails over the bar to win the women’s high jump. Photo: AFP


Dafne Schippers’ record 200m time in Beijing stuns even her coach

Dafne Schippers celebrates her win. Photo: AFP

Dafne Schippers on bronze medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown. Photo: AFP

Dafne Schippers broke the European record. Photo: AFP

Dafne Schippers dips on the line to win. Photo: AFP

WATCH: Cameraman mows down Usain Bolt after losing control of Segway at World Championships

Usain Bolt escaped with minor cuts. Photo: Reuters


The cameraman eyes his target. Photo: Reuters

Sport

Other Sport

7 pointers towards the Rio Olympics after a fascinating tournament


Hard as it is to believe, there were questions about Usain Bolt when the world championships first started
