Nesta Carter & Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt is no longer a triple-triple Olympic gold medalist. Bolt and the Jamaican team have been stripped of their 4×100-meter relay gold medal from the Beijing Games in 2008 because one runner, Nesta Carter, was found guilty of a doping violation, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
Bolt won the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the 4×100 relay at the last three Summer Olympics, for a total of nine gold medals, tied for the most of any track athlete.Carter initially tested negative after the race in 2008. But his sample was one of many retested by the I.O.C. last year. It was found to contain a prohibited stimulant, methylhexaneamine.When one member of a team tests positive, it is typical for the entire team to be stripped of its medals, though there have been exceptions. Marion Jones lost two relay medals from 2000 after doping violations, but her teammates were allowed to keep theirs after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
When news of Carter’s positive test first emerged last year, Bolt told The Guardian, “It’s heartbreaking, because over the years you’ve worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion – but it’s just one of those things.”
“If I need to give back my gold medal I’d have to give it back, it’s not a problem for me,” he said.