Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished a 100-meter race on Sunday in 9.79 seconds, his fastest run this year, the New York Times reports.
He finished in first place right before American athlete Justin Gatlin, who crossed the finish line just one-thousandth of a second after Bolt to take the silver medal.
After struggling this season following an injury, Bolt told the Times that this win “was a big deal.” It marks about eight years, since 2007, that the athlete has not been defeated in a 100-meter or 200-meter race in six major global championships. He has a 200-meter final scheduled for Thursday.
The Times claims that this win will likely be a “boost” for the sport that has been facing controversy over the past few weeks regarding allegations of drug use among athletes. Bolt, among the world’s highest-paid athletes with an estimated net worth between $20 million and $50 million, is arguably the most prominent name in track and field.
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