
The men's
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
at the
2017 World Championships in Athletics
The 2017 IAAF World Championships, the sixteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 4 to 13 August at London Stadium in London, United Kingdom. London was officially awarded the championships on 11 November 2011.
Bidding p ...
was held at the London
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
on . This meet was announced as the last competition for
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
. The race was won by
Justin Gatlin
Justin Alexander Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the ...
of the United States, ahead of Gatlin's team-mate
Christian Coleman
Christian Coleman (born March 6, 1996) is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. The 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, he also won gold as part of men's 4 × 100-meter relay. He ...
, with
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
finishing third.
Background
Billed as his last individual race, world record holder and reigning world and Olympic champion
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
hoped to bow out of individual competition with one last gold medal. He originally planned to retire after the
Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro the previous year, but decided to return due to his love for the
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
crowds. However, his season was hampered by his reoccurring hamstring injuries, as well as the death of his friend
Germaine Mason
Germaine Mason (20 January 1983 – 20 April 2017) was a Jamaican-born track and field athlete competing in high jump. In 2006, he switched sporting allegiance, and then represented Great Britain. As a Great Britain competitor, he won the si ...
. Coming into the championships, Bolt was only ranked 7th with 9.95 seconds. Meanwhile, young American
Christian Coleman
Christian Coleman (born March 6, 1996) is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. The 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, he also won gold as part of men's 4 × 100-meter relay. He ...
burst onto the athletics scene as the new favorite to dethrone Bolt, clocking a world-leading 9.82 seconds at the
NCAA Championships and going on to win the 100-200 double. His only defeat came at the
US Championships, where fellow
Tennessee Vol and
2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin
Justin Alexander Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the ...
overtook the inexperienced Coleman, who overstrided towards the finish. The win came as a surprise for many, as the 35-year old veteran and
2005 world champion had an unusually rocky season despite being Bolt's biggest rival for the previous 4 years.
Andre De Grasse
Andre De Grasse (born 10 November 1994) is a Canadian Sprint (running), sprinter. A seven-time Olympic medallist, De Grasse is the 2020 Olympic champion in the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres, 200 m, and also won the ...
of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
also announced his intentions to defeat Bolt before his retirement; the triple medallist at the Rio Olympics proved he had the talent and confidence to stay calm against Bolt, especially when he rushed to the Jamaican's shoulder during the 200m semifinals. Despite not having gone under 10 seconds before the championships, many knew that De Grasse was a championship performer and would clock much faster times in London.
Meanwhile, Bolt's training partner and
2011 World Champion Yohan Blake
Yohan Blake (born 26 December 1989) is a Jamaican sprinter specialising in the 100 metres, 100-metre and 200 metres, 200-metre sprint races. He won gold at the 100 m at the 2011 World Athletics Championships as the youngest 100 m world champion ...
, continued his injury comeback by winning the Jamaican 100m title in 9.90, the second fastest time of the year.
Julian Forte and
Senoj-Jay Givans, two sub-10 runners, filled out the Jamaican squad.
Akani Simbine
Akani Simbine (born 21 September 1993) is a South African Sprint (running), sprinter specialising in the 100 metres event. He was fifth at the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 Summer Olympics in the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
was ranked 3rd in the year with 9.92, and won at the
Doha Diamond League
The Doha Diamond League is an annual one-day track and field meeting held at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is part of the Diamond League – the top level international circuit for the sport. It is typically held in May as the ...
in May, though many believed he peaked too early as South African runners began their seasons in February.
Christopher Belcher, the NCAA bronze medallist behind Coleman and ranked 4th in the year with 9.93, joined Coleman and Gatlin on the US squad.
CJ Ujah of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
appeared to be in top form, winning 3
Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions.
The inaugural season was ...
races in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
, the latter in 9.98 seconds. In his absence, the incredibly fast-finishing
Reece Prescod beat out
former European Champion James Dasaolu
James Dasaolu (born 5 September 1987) is a retired British track and field athlete who specialised in the 100 metres. He was the 2014 European champion over the distance.
In July 2013, he became the second fastest Briton of all time after runni ...
at the
British Championships. Other key players included co-European record holder and 3-time global finalist
Jimmy Vicaut of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 7th-ranked
Thando Roto of South Africa, and Rio finalist
Ben Youssef Meite of the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
Just days before the championships, De Grasse pulled out with a hamstring injury and was forced to miss his final chance to defeat Bolt.
Summary
Coleman won his heat with ease in 10.01. Japanese runner
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown placed himself as a favorite and surprised many by beating Blake in the second heat.
Julian Forte of
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
was the fastest in the round, clocking 9.99 seconds in the third heat; Simbine finished 4th and qualified for the semis as a fastest loser, almost confirming claims he had already peaked earlier in the season. In the final heat, Bolt won with his slowest time of the season; his terrible start showed signs that he was, indeed, retiring at the right time.
In the first semi-final,
Justin Gatlin
Justin Alexander Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the ...
qualified but seemed to struggle, losing to
Akani Simbine
Akani Simbine (born 21 September 1993) is a South African Sprint (running), sprinter specialising in the 100 metres event. He was fifth at the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 Summer Olympics in the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. Both were favorites to dethrone Bolt. In the second semi-final,
Yohan Blake
Yohan Blake (born 26 December 1989) is a Jamaican sprinter specialising in the 100 metres, 100-metre and 200 metres, 200-metre sprint races. He won gold at the 100 m at the 2011 World Athletics Championships as the youngest 100 m world champion ...
barely held off the hometown favorite
Reece Prescod, who had a sudden surge of speed in the last ten metres to take the automatic qualifying spot from
Su Bingtian
Su Bingtian (; born 29 August 1989) is a professional Chinese track and field athlete specializing in the 100 metres event. He was the first-ever Asian-born sprinter to break the 10-second barrier and remains the only Asian sprinter to ever bre ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Run into slight headwinds, the first two semis were unimpressive, slower than ten seconds. In the third semi-final,
Christian Coleman
Christian Coleman (born March 6, 1996) is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. The 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, he also won gold as part of men's 4 × 100-meter relay. He ...
surprised the world by beating Bolt with 9.97 to his 9.98, despite it being a semi-final; in doing so, he became the first man in four years to beat Bolt, the last being Gatlin by the same margin (0.01) in an
IAAF Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions.
The inaugural season was ...
event in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Coleman rocketed out of the start, while Bolt lumbered. Bolt tried to make up the gap, but sensing he couldn't catch him, eased up at the finish. Bolt's time was still the second fastest in the semis.
In the final, Bolt was lined up in lane four, right next to his young rival Coleman. Gatlin lined up in lane eight, with Blake right next to him. At the gun, Coleman got the quickest reaction time, of 0.123, and Bolt with the second slowest in 0.183. Coleman continued with his usual fast start, with Bolt next to him lumbering behind by a metre in fourth expecting to make up ground on
Jimmy Vicaut of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Su Bingtian
Su Bingtian (; born 29 August 1989) is a professional Chinese track and field athlete specializing in the 100 metres event. He was the first-ever Asian-born sprinter to break the 10-second barrier and remains the only Asian sprinter to ever bre ...
inside him. Meanwhile, the other half of the field seemed to struggle in the first 40 metres, but began to catch up with the pack afterwards. At that mark, Bolt began making up ground, first on Su, then on Vicaut. With every step, Bolt gained on his young rival, but as he got closer he began to tense up. Suddenly, with 15 metres to go, Gatlin in lane eight came out of nowhere and surged ahead of the two, securing his
first world title since 2005 by 0.02 seconds. Gatlin's winning time of 9.92 seconds was the slowest World Championship winning time in the 100 metres since
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, but was a new
Masters world record, beating
Kim Collins
Kim Collins (born 5 April 1976) is a former Saint Kitts and Nevis, Kittitian track and field sprint (running), sprinter. In 2003, he became the World Championships in Athletics, World Champion in the 100 metres. He represented his country at the ...
' 9.93 that he set the previous year.
Coleman finished second in 9.94 seconds, while Bolt was third in 9.95 seconds, equaling his seasonal best that he set in
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
.
Records
Before the competition records were as follows:
The following records were set at the competition:
Qualification standard
The standard to qualify automatically for entry was 10.12.
Schedule
The event schedule, in local time (UTC+1), was as follows:
Results
Preliminary round
The preliminary round took place on 4 August in four heats as follows:
The first three in each heat (
Q ) and the next two fastest (
q ) qualified for the first round proper. The overall results were as follows:
Heats
The first round proper took place on 4 August in six heats as follows:
The first three in each heat (
Q ) and the next six fastest (
q ) qualified for the semi-finals. The overall results were as follows:
Semi-finals
The semi-finals took place on 5 August in three heats as follows:
The first two in each heat (
Q ) and the next two fastest (
q ) qualified for the final. The overall results were as follows:
Final
The final took place on 5 August at 21:46. The wind was −0.8 metres per second and the results were as follows
photo finish:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 100 metres
100
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standard SI prefix for a hundred is " hecto-".
100 is the b ...
100 metres at the World Athletics Championships