Professional athletes are known for getting professional-grade injuries, and some of them battle more physical obstacles than others. As PBS notes, Bolt had struggled with scoliosis and other back problems throughout his career. His record is awe-inspiring, and even more so considering he's achieved so much with a spinal deformity that has the potential to leave those afflicted with movement impairments, as Healthline explains, and on rare occasions, paralysis (via UCLA Health). But the night of his final competition, Bolt was plagued by a different injury.
While running the team relay in the 2017 Track and Field Championships, Bolt went down, and he went down hard. As SI Wire shows, Bolt had been pushing hard, gaining the lead, when he starts awkwardly hopping and shouting in pain. The world's fastest man then fell to the ground. He refused to leave his final race without crossing the finish line though, and with the help of his teammates, they got the hobbling sprinter across it.
At first, the runner believed it was a simple hamstring cramp that struck at a most inopportune moment in his career, but he later learned he'd actually torn the muscle. Bolt told the Independent shortly after his injury that the competitors weren't allowed to jog around and keep their muscles warm before competing, which has been known to lead to injuries in the athletic world for ages. With a worn body and having been "cold" during his races, it's no wonder Bolt didn't compete at his usual level.
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