Doctors told Usain Bolt to avoid last race after death of close friend left him ‘inconsolable’

Usain Bolt has revealed he ignored doctor’s orders to run his final race, despite struggling with a personal tragedy.

The fastest man alive brought his storied career to an end at the 2017 World Championships in London – in the same stadium where he clinched three Olympic gold medals in 2012.

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And while Bolt hoped to bow out from athletics in a blaze of glory, he was denied his dream farewell to the sport.

After taking bronze in the 100m in his last-ever individual race, the sprint legend set his sights on glory in the 4 x 100m relay.

Unfortunately for Bolt, that ended in disappointment too, as he pulled up with a hamstring injury 50m from the finish line whilst running the anchor leg for Jamaica.

This didn’t stop him from receiving a hero’s send-off when he performed his last lap of honour at the London Stadium later on.

Why Bolt almost didn’t compete in London

Bolt had come incredibly close to not competing in the capital at all, after tragedy struck months earlier.

In April 2017, the Jamaican star was left devastated by the death of close friend and fellow athlete Germaine Mason, who was killed in a devastating motorcycle accident.

The heartbreaking loss was said to have left Bolt ‘inconsolable’, who struggled to find the motivation to train afterwards.

And in a recent interview with the Times, the 39-year-old revealed that he was advised by his doctor to miss the World Championships altogether, who said he wasn’t fit enough to compete.

Bolt explained: “One of my very close friends died [in 2017]. 

“Grieving and speaking about it was so important for me. Spending time with all the people that we hung out with helped me to deal with it. 

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“So I didn’t train as much as I wanted to before my last world championships.

“That’s why I wasn’t in shape, and why the doctor said: ‘Do not go’.

Detailing his conversations with his doctor, Bolt said he felt he had no choice but to compete, with fans and sponsors expecting him to bow out from the sport in London.

He continued: “My doctor told me: ‘Do not go. You’re not in good shape. You’re not ready. If you go and you push yourself, you will get injured’.

“I was like: ‘I have to go. Everybody is expecting me’.

“So it wasn’t a massive surprise [that he tore a hamstring in his final race].”

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Who was Germaine Mason?

While Bolt’s decision to overrule his doctor may not have paid off on the track, the sprint star said prior to the event that he believed he Mason would have wanted him to compete.

Speaking at the time, he said: “I know my friend would have wanted me to go out there to do my best and to be strong and to be focused on what needs to be done.”

A fellow Olympic medallist, Mason had been with Bolt before his untimely death in Kingston, Jamaica.

The pair had been at a party together that night, before Mason was tragically killed while riding home from the event.

Bolt was one of the first on the scene after the crash, and later carried his close friend’s coffin at his funeral, with pictures showing him looking distraught.

Born in Jamaica, Mason represented Great Britain in the high jump, and clinched a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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This was the same Games where Bolt first announced himself to the world, as he clinched 100m and 200m gold with world record times in both, in the first of his three Olympic sprint doubles.