Could Usain Bolt's Olympic Legacy Be Reinstated?

Could Usain Bolt's Olympic Legacy Be Reinstated?

The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter's appeal in November, which could potentially reinstate Usain Bolt as a top medalist in the history of the Olympic Games.

Sep 11, 2017 by Johanna Gretschel
Could Usain Bolt's Olympic Legacy Be Reinstated?
On November 15, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear an appeal from Jamaican Nesta Carter concerning a positive retest of his doping sample from the 2008 Olympics. They could potentially overturn the sprinter's disqualification from 2008 and return the Beijing Games' Olympic gold medal in the 4x100m relay to Jamaica.

Usain Bolt's track career is over, but if Carter is successful in his appeal then the world record holder for 100m and 200m would again be tied for the most gold medals in Olympic track and field history. With Carter's 2008 results nulled, Bolt's gold medal total stands at eight, one fewer than Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi. He was otherwise perfect in Olympic competition as a senior athlete, winning the 100m and 200m in 2008 and claiming triple gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m in 2012 and 2016.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in January of this year that a retest of Carter's doping sample from the 2008 Olympic Games contained methylhexaneamine. The stimulant is currently included on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substance list, though it was not in 2008. Carter claims that he has never ingested the substance.

Bolt said earlier this year that he was "not sad" about giving up the medal, though was "waiting to see if Nesta is going to appeal," according to the Jamaica Observer.

The 2008 gold medal race produced a world record of 37.10 -- a mark that Bolt, Carter, Michael Frater, and Yohan Blake later improved to 36.84 at the 2012 London Games.