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Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | As sprint legend Usain Bolt partied into the early hours and hung out with movie stars at the Commonwealth Games, it wasn’t so much fun for the Jamaica track team he left behind.
At their first major competition since Bolt retired after a decade of dominance, the Jamaican juggernaut caught a flat on the Gold Coast, failing to win a single sprinting gold medal.
Yohan Blake’s flop in the men’s 100 metres set the tone as Jamaica’s confidence was immediately dented by South African Akani Simbine.
The god of Thunder & Lightning Bolt.
Thunder & Bolt
Real Thor & Real Flash @chrishemsworth @Avengers #Thor #infinityWar pic.twitter.com/tYPQvTpqyL
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) April 12, 2018
Blake, who picked up a world title in 2011 after Bolt false-started, could only finish third behind Simbine’s countryman Henricho Bruintjies after a calamitous start.
To add insult to injury, double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson failed to win a medal in the women’s 200m as Shaunae Miller-Uibo romped to victory for the Bahamas.
And with Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards capturing gold in the men’s 200m and countrywoman Michelle-Lee Ahye an upset winner of the women’s 100m, Jamaica’s Caribbean rivals enjoyed their days in the sun.
Jamaica’s Olympic chief insisted that there was no crisis, pointing to a new generation of sprinters coming through.
“It was a perfectly creditable performance,” Christopher Samuda told AFP. “Jamaican athletes usually peak in June or July.
Smile. Wow who says in life we don’t ever stumble? We all do
but it is how you fight and get back up showing how brave you are. Don’t let a little stumble get you down. Watch God pic.twitter.com/5l8oNy0CrE— Yohan Blake (@YohanBlake) April 11, 2018
“Usain Bolt had a very big influence but we have a wealth of talent and the future for Jamaican sprinting is in very good hands.”
But after the Jamaican men’s 4x100m relay team were crushed by England to take third behind South Africa in a puny title defence, Bolt took to social media to question whether he had retired too soon.
“Watching the relay just now made me ask myself a few questions,” tweeted the eight-time Olympic champion, who watched part of the athletics with Hollywood heartthrob Chris Hemsworth.
