Usain Bolt took barely nine seconds to land his first Commonwealth Games gold medal by anchoring Jamaica to four-by-100m glory at Hampden Park – but his lap of honour might just be the longest on record.
The world’s fastest man ended his controversial stay in Glasgow by powering down the home straight to bring his team home in 37.58 seconds, a games record.
The 27-year-old would have had every reason to grumble about the weather on Saturday night after rain hammered down and puddles littered the track, but he received the baton in the lead and raced away to the roars of the crowd.
England took an impressive silver, their quartet of Adam Gemili, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Richard Kilty and Danny Talbot producing three slick changeovers as they held off Trinidad and Tobago, clocking 38.02 seconds.
But there was no denying the star of the show.
Bolt, the showman extraordinaire, lapped up the acclaim on his lap of honour, posing for selfies with members of the crowd all around Hampden, with a Jamaican flag and a Scottish Saltire draped over his shoulders.
He also donned a tartan hat and scarf as he joked with adoring fans. It was one of, if not the, slowest lap of honour in living memory.
“The selfies are making these laps of honour really long,” said Bolt, who reaffirmed that the 2017 World Championships were likely to be his last major event.
“It’s been wonderful
. . . Even when I was cold the crowd was warm. For me it was just great to have fun with the fans, they made the games what it was. They came out and supported from day one.
“Other than the weather it’s been brilliant, it’s been like any other championships. I got to watch a lot more sports and see a lot of athletes compete. I saw some surprising things, like a Jamaican winning the shot put.
“For me the only bad thing about this place is the weather, but I expected it.”
The controversy over his alleged slur on his experiences in Scotland, which he denies, had not dented his standing among his public.
Any doubts about that were ended in the heats on Friday when he received a rapturous reception and it continued for the final, the star attraction closing the athletics programme in style.
Hampden had its superstar and were determined to enjoy him.
“I think the crowd was good yesterday, but was better tonight. Tonight was much more fun,” he added.
He was greeted with another cheer when he stepped on to the top of the podium to receive his medal. He pointed to it as it was hung around his neck as if to say: “This is what I came here for.”
