A clumsy cameraman riding a Segway managed to bring Usain Bolt crashing to the ground just moments after he won the 200m sprint at the World Athletic Championships in Beijing.
While in the midst of his celebrations after edging out his rival by nearly two tenths of a second, the Jamaican was ignominiously brought to the ground after the Segway of a nearby videographer caught on a railing and hurtled straight into what are potentially the world’s most expensive pair of legs.
Here’s what happened, live on television:
Despite the accident, Bolt remains confident ahead of the relays this weekend. “It’s alright, I will get over it. Never a doubt [for the sprint relay race], never a doubt. I am just going to get it massaged, ice it up a bit and I should be fine,” he said. “I have a few cuts. But it’s nothing I have never done to myself in training. It wasn’t as bad.”
Even after being knocked down, Bolt remained in good spirits, joking that his arch-rival Justin Gatlin was behind the fall. “The rumor I’m trying to start right now is that Justin Gatlin paid him off,” he said.
State broadcaster CCTV, who are believed to employ the cameraman, have yet to comment on the highly embarrassing incident.
By Dominic Jackson