There will be no triple treble in the record books anymore for Usain Bolt, after the Jamaican superstar lost his 4x100m relay gold medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Usain Bolt to train with Borussia Dortmund
One of Bolt's teammates in that relay team – Nesta Carter – tested positive for a banned substance. Carter was one of the 454 samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics that were tested in 2016 by the International Olympic Committee.
Carter reportedly tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant.
Jamaica romped to the gold medal in 2008, running at a then world record time of 37.10 seconds. Carter was the lead man in the relay team, which also had Asafa Powell and Michael Frater.
That gold medal was Bolt's third in Beijing, after he set the track on fire in the 100m and 200m.
It is a pity that Bolt will officially lose his gold medal, because, in the form that he was in and with Powell in that team as well, an amateur could have run the opening leg and you feel Jamaica would have still won.
Bolt, while speaking about the possible loss of the gold medal last year, when news broke that Carter might have tested positive, took the philosophical route.
"It's heartbreaking, because over the years you've worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion, but it's just one of those things," the Jamaican legend said.
"Things happen in life, so when it's confirmed or whatever, if I need to give back my gold medal I'd have to give it back, it's not a problem for me."
What the lost gold medal does is turn Bolt's triple treble into a, well, triple double to go with the two gold he will have from Beijing. Bolt won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in London and Rio.
Carter was also a part of the Jamaica relay team that won the gold medal in the London 2012 Olympics, while the sprinter was a part of Jamaica's wins in the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships.
The Beijing Olympics men's 4x100m relay gold medal will now officially go to Trinidad and Tobago, with Japan taking silver and Brazil winning the bronze.
