JOIN USJamaican sprint star Usain Bolt remained on track for a 12th world title after advancing to the final of the 100M at the World Championships in London on Saturday.
Defending champion Bolt, who brings the curtain down on his glittering career at the end of this season, was pipped in his semifinal in a photo finish by American Christian Coleman, who clocked 9.97 seconds. Bolt, who again struggled with his start, timed 9.98.
Bolt and Coleman were joined by respective teammates Yohan Blake, the 2011 world champion, and veteran Justin Gatlin, whose doping-tainted past again saw him jeered by the sell-out 60,000 crowd at the London Stadium.
South African Akani Simbine, in 10.05sec, won the first semi just ahead of Gatlin (10.09). Blake raced to victory in the second in 10.04sec, a hundredth ahead of Britain's Reece Prescod.
Su Bingtian of China and Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut clinched the two best third-place finishers to round out the final later in the night.
On Friday in the first round, Bolt overcame a “very bad” start to successfully kick off the defence of his title but Gatlin was jeered by the fans. Bolt found himself fifth halfway into the blue riband event before putting on the afterburners to win his heat in 10.07 seconds.
Bolt vs Gatlin at the 2012 Olympics at the same London stadium had been billed as ‘good against evil’, given the American’s doping-tainted past, and so it again proved.
Bolt later criticised the starting blocks for his trouble but the organisers rebuffed the criticism, insisting they had been checked and were the same model used in Beijing two years ago.
"That was very bad," he told reporters. "I stumbled a little bit coming out of my blocks. I'm not really a fan of these blocks. These are the worst blocks I have ever experienced. I have to get the start together as I can't keep doing this."