World Championships - 100m final live! Usain Bolt bids to end solo career with final gold in London
Follow all the live action from the men's 100m finals at the London Stadium
Usain Bolt’s glittering career draws to a close at the World Athletics Championships, as the legendary Jamaican hangs up his running spikes after almost a decade of unparalleled success.
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Your support makes all the difference.The 30-year-old first announced his decision to retire from athletics in February 2015, and initially planned to end his career at the Rio Olympics, where he won three gold medals.
But in the end, Bolt decided that he wanted his last race to be in London.
“My sponsor has asked me to go on for another year; to 2017 and London,” he said last year.
“But I'll be doing one event, the 100m. I've already discussed it with my coach. I can concentrate on that, and on retiring on a winning note.”
When will Bolt be running?
The men’s 100m semi-finals begin at 7.05pm on Saturday August 5.
The final takes place later that evening, due to begin at 9.45pm.
But wait! That won’t actually be his final race. He will also take place in the 4x100m relay, next Saturday.
Follow live coverage of tonight's 100m final below:
More information:
Where can I watch it?
On BBC One. Covering of the evening session begins at 6.30pm and lasts until 10pm.
And just a heads up: BBC One will also be screening a documentary all about the big man, called I Am Bolt, which starts at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.
What are the odds?
Bolt is the overwhelming favourite to win the 100m final. Surprise, surprise.
The current odds are:
Bolt to win: 1/3
Christian Coleman to win: 4/1
Noah Lyles to win: 8/1
And what happened in the heats?
Our man Samuel Lovett was there and had this to say:
Michael Johnson had said ahead of the 2017 World Athletics Championships that Usain Bolt was “more vulnerable” than ever as he bids to retain his title as ‘the fastest man on earth’.
On the big occasion here at the London Stadium, the American’s words proved worryingly prescient.
Clocking in at 10.07secs in Friday's heats, Bolt booked his place in Saturday’s semi-finals but made hard work of it in the process.
Animated and playful as ever before the race, the Jamaican ended his 100m sprint with a disappointed shake of the head that said it all.
It was a far from flawless performance that saw Bolt pushed all the way by the likes of Britain's James Dasaolu and Jimmy Vicaut of France, both of whom also qualified for the semis.
Indeed, the 30-year-old struggled out of the blocks and found himself positioned sixth as the mid-way mark approached.
It took until the closing stages of the race before Bolt pulled ahead of the pack to keep his hopes of a 12th World Championships gold on course.
Speaking after the race the Jamiacan appeared to blame the blocks for his performance.
"I stumbled a bit coming out of blocks, I'm not fond of these blocks," he told the BBC. "I have to get this together. It's shaky because when I did the warm up it [the blocks] pushed back.
"It's not what I am used to."
The Jamaican may have been presented as “forever fastest” in his media conference earlier this week, but if Friday’s race is anything to go by his dominance looks to be drawing to a close.
The top three:
1. Justin Gatlin 9.92
2. Christian Coleman 9.94
3. Usain Bolt 9.95
So what do we make of that? That certainly wasn't the fairytale ending we all expected. The very fact that tonight's gold medal was won by a former drugs cheat certainly adds salt to the wounds but this shouldn't take away from Bolt's remarkable career on the track.
Gatlin revels in his shocking victory at the London Stadium
Bolt speaks!
"This was wonderful. I knew they would come out and support me. I'm just sad I couldn't come out and win.
"My start killed me. Normally I get better through the rounds but it didn't come together. The fact I didn't get it is why I lost.
"The support has been outstanding. They have stood behind me and pushed me and I really appreciate that."
And here's what Gatlin had to say...
"I tuned it out (the boos) through the rounds and stayed the course. I did what I had to do. The people who love me are here cheering for me and cheering at home. I thought of what I would do if I did win but I didn't do any of that. It is Bolt's last race.
"I have had many victories and many defeats down the years. It is an amazing occasion. We are rivals on the track but in the warm-down area we joke and have a good time. The first thing he did was congratulate me and say that I didn't deserve the boos. He is an inspiration."
That's all from me, folks! What an evening it has been - one that I'm sure many of us will be in a rush to forget. Nonetheless, that's not to say such a result tarnishes Bolt's career. It's been quite the journey for the Jamaican who has single-handedly carried the sport on his shoulders for nearly 10 years now.
Until next time!
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