Into a new era without Usain Bolt

Once upon a time: fairy tales tend to start like this. Not very prosaic but memorable and then everyone knows: Now we have to listen, now it will be exciting, entertaining and also emotional. Because fairy tales send us into an initially strange world, which we then conquer step by step and line by line. So once upon a time there was a sprinter from the distant Caribbean island of Jamaica who liked to listen to the music of Bob Marley.

Reggae determined his life, gave him the rhythm that made him one of the best athletes in the world. We're talking about Usain Bolt, who won the sprint double at the Olympic Games three times in a row. The 100m and the 200m. But those good times are over and Bob Marley would have been singing sad chords on his guitar these days. Songs full of longing would have stuck to the palm trees because Jamaica has finally said goodbye to the golden times of the past. The green-yellow colors have faded and almost look washed out these days.

No Jamaicans were in the 100m final, only one in the 200m final, which Rasheed Dwyer finished seventh. Jamaica is lagging behind, the two medals in the 110m hurdles are little consolation because this discipline is only marginally noted on the Caribbean island. Jamaica hit the men's sprint at full throttle because they relied on Usain Bolt for years. The offspring were neglected and now the switch can no longer be flipped overnight. No successors in sight The lack of a superstar is felt not only in Jamaica, but throughout the entire athletics cosmos. There are no successors in sight who can radiate the same dominance and fascination as Usain Bolt. The fantastic Canadian Damien Warner in the decathlon, who was the fourth athlete to be accepted into the illustrious circle of 9000-point decathletes as the winner of the competition in Tokyo, is a quiet, almost reserved fellow. He would never pose like Bolt loved to do.

Karsten Warholm from Norway, who won the 400m hurdles in an incredible time of 45,94 seconds and was the first person on the planet to finish his discipline under 46 seconds, would have what it takes to become a potential successor to Bolt, if he is 100m, which is still the ultimate in athletics. The hurdles that Warholm tackles are too exotic.

The Norwegian Karsten Warholm made people sit up and take notice in the hurdles race. © APA/afp / MATTHIAS SCHRADER

Many of us have run 100m at some point. Or 50m as a teenager. Start straight ahead, the goal clearly in sight. No curves, no hurdles. It's clear, simple, understandable and also has a time of 10 seconds, which everyone immediately recognizes as a sound barrier. These are clear guidelines and everyone knows that the fastest person in the world can be seen over 100m. You can't see any of this in Warholm, despite all the fascination that his performances radiate.

Even in the big business of athletics, people relied too much on Bolt, who they nurtured and nurtured. Doping controls were rare, Bolt had to fill the stadiums with a clean slate throughout his running life and ensure high ratings on TV stations. Lightning Bolt. That's what they called him, and that's the name of one of his twin sons now. The other Thunder Bolt, like thunder that brings flashes of lightning. Bolt's absence as a blessing Bolt was unique. And yet his absence is somehow a blessing, because now the attention that was usually focused solely on him is focused on the entire spectrum of athletics. Now those who were previously only in the shadow of the one and only Usain Bolt are in the spotlight. His successor over 100m is the Italian Lamont Marcell Jabobs with a new European record. Andre de Grasse from Canada, who had always lost out to Bolt at the last Olympic Games, finally came into play in the 200m. And other disciplines are gradually starting to shine. The pole vaulter Armand Duplantis from Sweden is on the way to becoming a new high-flyer, Ryan Crouser from the USA is in a position to free the shot putters from their shadowy existence.

The range of athletics with all its different characters has always been a strength that has ultimately been almost forgotten in the past ten years because of Usain Bolt. Now she's showing up again. And consolidate the core sport of the Olympic Games because the dependence on just one exceptional athlete has now been shaken off. Jamaica is still fighting back a little and that is entirely thanks to the women. But here too there are signs of a turnaround, as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Elaine Thompson-Herah are at the zenith of their careers. The end of your career is in sight. What will remain in the end is the legend Usain Bolt - and the reggae of Bob Marley

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Into a new era without Usain Bolt

Jamaican reggae has lost its rhythm since Usain Bolt retired from athletics. The superstar is missing everywhere. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich, who has commented on all of Bolt's Olympic races for Eurosport, explains why athletics can still look forward to a good future.

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