Usain Bolt is paying a heavy price for someone else’s mistake.
The International Olympic Committee stripped the legendary Jamaican sprinter of one of his gold medals because his teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance, according to the New York Times’ Victor Mather.
Bolt and Carter helped Jamaica win the gold medal in the 4X100-meter relay at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but Carter’s positive test means they must return their medals to the IOC. Bolt now has eight gold medals and no longer shares the record for most golds in Olympic track and field history.
Carter ran the first leg for Jamaica’s 4X100-meter relay team, which set a new world record in Beijing. He initially passed the doping test on the eve of the race, but his sample was one of the 454 the IOC re-tested last year using the latest technology. Methylhexaneamine was found in his sample, and the IOC has retrospectively found him guilty.
The IOC will upgrade Trinidad and Tobago’s 2008 team to gold-medalist status. Japan will receive silver medals and Brazil will receive bronze.
Bolt cemented his legacy at the 2016 Rio Olympics when he became the first “triple triple” winner, having triumphed in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4X100-meter races at three Olympic games. He now loses that distinction, and Carter owes him an apology and more.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
