Usain Bolt is still the man to beat in Olympic men’s track and field, but he can no longer claim to have equalled the record of nine gold medals.
The Jamaican Icon He retired in 2017 and no man has been able to replicate his total dominance in the sport since, as he still holds two world records.
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At Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, Bolt won three sprint gold medals in three consecutive Games.
This incredible feat allowed the 37-year-old athlete to equal Paavo Nurmi and Carl Lewis’ record for most Olympic gold medals won in athletics, with nine.
However, in the year he retired, Bolt was stripped of one of his gold medals and here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at why…
Why did Bolt lose the Olympic gold medal?
Bolt was stripped of his Olympic gold medal in the men’s 4x100m relay at Beijing 2008 after one of his teammates was disqualified after the Games.
He was part of a four-man team, including Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell, that broke the world record by finishing in 37.10 seconds.
However, nearly a decade after the 2017 Games, Carter was found guilty of doping by the International Olympic Committee.
He used performance-enhancing drugs to prepare for the Olympics and as a result, all of his medals were taken away.
This meant that even his 2008 relay medal was stripped and unfortunately his teammates’ medals were as well because of this.
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Bolt’s loss of gold also meant the loss of his “triple-triple” achievement of winning gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m events at three consecutive Olympics.
It took away his history, but he is still proud of the legacy he left in the sport.
Speaking when the decision on Carter was made, he said: “I’m disappointed to miss out on a medal.
“But that won’t take away from the value of what I’ve done throughout my career, because I’ve won my individual events and that’s the most important thing.”
He added: “What can you do? I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the sport, I’ve really made an impact in the sport, I’ve really achieved a lot, so for me I can’t complain.”
And Bolt still has his full set of three 100m and 200m medals, plus he still holds world records in both…
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What is Bolt’s record time in the 100m?
The men’s 100m world record is 9.58 seconds.
Screw marked this time in August 2009 at the World Athletics Championships – no at the Beijing Olympics last year.
The common misconception comes from the fact that the 6-foot-5 sprinter set a world record time of 9.69 in winning the gold medal.
However, just a year later, Bolt broke his own record and no sprinter has broken it to this day.
In the 200m, Bolt is also the world record holder.
His time of 19.19 seconds, set at the same event in 2009, still stands.
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