Usain Bolt finished 3rd in the 2017 World Championships 100m final. The race, held in London on 5 August 2017, was billed as Bolt’s final individual championship appearance and a possible farewell victory.
Justin Gatlin won in 9.92 seconds, with Christian Coleman taking silver in 9.94. Bolt ran 9.95 seconds for bronze, despite entering the championship as the reigning Olympic and world champion. His start was slower than usual, and he could not close the gap created by Coleman and Gatlin in the early stages.
The result was unusual for Bolt, who had dominated major 100m finals for nearly a decade. He had won Olympic gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016, although his 2008 relay medal was later stripped after teammate Nesta Carter’s doping violation. Bolt retired from individual championship competition after London and later ended his career following an injury in the 4x100m relay final.
A common mix-up is confusing the 2017 final with Bolt’s semifinal, where he finished second to Coleman in 9.98 seconds. In the final, Bolt was third, Gatlin was first, and Coleman was second.