Usain Bolt is one of the greatest sprinters the world has ever seen. He has achieved everything on the track and the Jamaican is on his final lap of his career which will conclude with the upcoming IAAF World Championships in London.
The world will have their eyes on his final Worlds, where he has been at his menacing best over the years. Bolt holds the record for the most number of medals in the competition, winning 11 gold and 2 silver medals. The sprinter could add two more medals to his tally as he is set to feature in the 100m and the men's 4x100m relay as well.
Whenever Bolt heads into an event of such magnitude, the world-record holder in the 100m is obviously a huge favourite. The Jamaican will be keen to finish his career on a high, especially in the 100m, with that elusive medal and pose for the photographers, biting the piece of gold. That image will last forever.
Despite Bolt being a favourite, one question looms large – will Bolt be surprised by anyone? One has to remember that he has won only gold at the IAAF World Championships. No one has ever defeated him in the 100m track though he disqualified in the 2011 Worlds.
Will Bolt walk away with gold or can someone spoil his farewell party in London?
There are some serious contenders for the gold medal. Just to name a few, Yohan Blake, Wayde Van Niekerk, Andre de Grasse and Justin Gatlin have always tried to snatch the gold medal by defeating him in the 100m dash. Bolt has outpaced them on numerous occasions.
Now, there is a new bloke on the track from the US, Christian Coleman, who is regarded as the next Bolt in the making. It would be tragic if Coleman beats Bolt in the final race of his life though for some it will not be a huge surprise.
Coleman may be nothing when compared to Bolt, but, there is a serious need to look into the performances of the American in 2017.
He holds the best 100m record this season (9.82), and even the likes of Blake and Gatlin have failed to hit that mark. Coleman's 9.82s also mean that he became the fourth fastest American ever.
Only Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, and Maurice Greene have recorded better timings. At just 21, Coleman being bracketed among such figures, it talks volumes about the athlete.
His phenomenal season does not end there. Coleman's name features four times in the top 7 timings for 100m in 2017. That goes on to show that something is special about the sprinter, who could take over the world of sprinting in the coming few years.
Coleman seems to be determined to perform at the IAAF World Championship 2017. He, like Bolt, will only be participating in the 100m dash, which will make for an interesting battle. The task for Coleman is massive. There is no denying that.
One has to remember, Bolt, who has a season's best of 9.95s, has the habit of striking it big when it comes to world events. Even before the last Worlds and the Rio Games, there were talks if he would win the title with other athletes doing phenomenally well, but he silenced them all with his gold.
One will come to know if Lightning will strike in London. Irrespective of the result, the IAAF World Championship could witness the end of Bolt's era and the rise of Coleman.
