It has been six years, 11 months, and 29 days since Usain Bolt completed his final competitive race, finishing third behind Justin Gatlin in the world championship 100m final in London during the summer of 2017. Yet, his presence remains palpable within the sport. He graces the boxes that showcase world and Olympic records at the top of the official start lists, reappearing when those same records light up the digital scoreboards at the finish line, reminding spectators of the heights that current athletes strive to reach. His likeness continues to feature prominently in montages of iconic moments displayed on the giant screens prior to the beginning of each session.
However, more strikingly, Bolt is noticed simply because he is absent. His insights during interviews lead one to ponder if World Athletics sometimes wishes he would remain out of sight, particularly considering his commentary on the state of the sport. “I think the sport now is maybe just missing a superstar. I mean, when I left, people were searching for the next individual to step up and truly shine and stand out. I believe that’s precisely what the sport needs at this moment,” he expressed last year.
“Track and field requires more attention because I think it has gone unnoticed since my retirement,” he remarked in another interview. “I love the competitions, but track and field needs to progress.”
What the 70,000 fans at the Stade experienced, instead, was an extraordinary performance from 24-year-old Femke Bol, who single-handedly drove the Dutch team to victory in the mixed 4x400m relay. Starting in fourth place when she received the baton, Bol executed a phenomenal 47.93-second split that propelled her past Great Britain’s Amber Anning, Belgium’s Naomi Van Den Broeck, and ultimately down the home straight, overtaking the USA’s Kaylyn Brown. Bol is just a “t” away from greatness. Moreover, her anticipated match-up with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400m hurdles promises to be one of the highlight events of this championship.
Nonetheless, Saturday night in the stadium highlighted Bolt’s assertion. His influence looms so large that it still overshadows the action at the Stade de France. The sport continues to grapple with how to adapt in his absence while awaiting the emergence of a new star.
He was not the only prominent figure missing that night. The entire event schedule was designed with aspirations for French athletes to recreate the memorable Super Saturday of 2012, when Great Britain secured three gold medals in a single evening. “We might not achieve three consecutive wins like the Brits did,” commented the Games’ head of athletics, Alain Blondel. “However, our goal is for the crowd to enjoy the French athletes from the very start, creating a sense of momentum throughout the competition. We want the Stade de France to resonate like it did in London 2012.” Fortunately, many aspects have gone favorably for the French throughout these Games.
The weekend was also planned with the expectation that Kevin Mayer, a two-time world champion, would clinch a medal in the decathlon, the last event on the track. However, Mayer withdrew due to injury on Monday. “Everybody advised me not to risk collapsing 20 meters after the start at the Stade de France,” Mayer explained, “especially since my aim was to make the atmosphere electric.”
Additionally, one of the most surprising sights of the evening was the vacant lane five in the second semi-final of the women’s 100m, where Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was anticipated to compete. At 37, Fraser-Pryce aimed to become the first athlete ever to win a fifth medal in the same event after previously earning gold in Beijing and London, bronze in Rio, and silver in Tokyo. Yet, she withdrew from the race right before it commenced, leaving only a DNS next to her name on the big screen. Within half an hour, news circulated on social media that she was injured.
after newsletter promotion
The event was already missing two-time champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who withdrew due to injury last month, while Shericka Jackson, who secured the Jamaican 1-2-3 finish in Tokyo, also exited earlier this week. This left Sha’Carri Richardson from the USA as the remaining major competitor in the race. Ultimately, she was bested by Julien Alfred, the 23-year-old from the small city of Castries in St Lucia. This marked St Lucia’s first medal, which stands as one of the great stories in Olympic history. However, World Athletics failed to highlight it even in Sprint, their recent behind-the-scenes Netflix series focusing on the event’s contenders.
This series is one of several initiatives World Athletics has undertaken in response to guidance from Bolt and other legendary figures in the sport, like Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson, who have emphasized the need for evolution. The mixed relay, making its Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, is another such initiative, along with the introduction of repechage races earlier in the day. The organization opted to eliminate the fastest-losers rule, allowing those who missed automatic qualification from the heats a chance to compete again. This adjustment aims to streamline the sport, enhancing its significance and enabling more races to be incorporated for television audiences.
Bol’s impressive performance served as a reminder that despite all the innovations, what truly matters is for the sport’s star athletes to deliver on the big stage.
