Usain Bolt parties at burlesque club with girlfriend Kasi Bennett to get over 100 metre world title defeat to drugs cheat Justin Gatlin


USAIN BOLT shrugged off his World Championship defeat to Justin Gatlin by partying at a London burlesque club.

Bolt saw his hopes of a golden ending to his brilliant career ended when he was beaten into third by drugs cheat Gatlin and rising star Christian Coleman.

Usain Bolt posted a video to his fans in the early hours after defeat in the 100 metres final
Usain Bolt posted a video to his fans in the early hours after defeat in the 100 metres final
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Bolt introduced his girlfriend Kasi Bennett on his video post
Bolt introduced his girlfriend Kasi Bennett on his video post
Instagram@kasi.b

But just hours later he hit the town by visiting one of the most controversial nightclubs in the capital.

Bolt and friends were spotted in the VIP area of The Box Soho, a burlesque-themed club popular with celebrities and once visited by Prince Harry.

It is the second time the eight-time Olympic champion has taken in the sights on offer inside the club, having also partied there into the early hours during a visit to London in March.

And it shows he has no intention of allowing the disappointment of only securing bronze in his last ever individual race to spoil his fun.

American sprint legend insists Bolt’s legacy has not been tarnished despite his defeat to Gatlin.

And Johnson also said it is time for everyone to stop singling controversial Gatlin out for abuse – claiming the real issue is winning the global battle against doping in the sport.

Usain Bolt was just beaten into third by Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman
Usain Bolt was just beaten into third by Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman
Rex Features

 

Usain Bolt can only manage a bronze medal as Justin Gatlin wins gold and Christian Coleman gets silver at the World Athletics Championships 2017 in London
Usain Bolt is a regular on the London party scene when he visits the UK
Usain Bolt is a regular on the London party scene when he visits the UK
Splash News
Usain Bolt partied at The Box Soho just hours after losing to Justin Gatling in the World Championships
Usain Bolt partied at The Box Soho just hours after losing to Justin Gatling in the World Championships
Splash News

Former Olympic 200m and 400m champ Johnson said: "Someone asked me if Usain Bolt's legacy would be tarnished because of that loss? Not at all.

"The legacy is so huge everyone loves him, he has meant so much to this sport there is still celebration.
"I don’t think it’s a disaster ending, it still has to be a celebration of his career despite the loss."

Johnson is no fan of Gatlin, but he says the time has come for everyone to stop focusing on his doping history and start turning their attention to cleaning up the whole of the sport.

Usain Bolt thanks his fans and girlfriend in the early hours after defeat in the 100 metres World Championships 2017 final
Bolt waves goodbye after his final individual rave before retirement
Bolt waves goodbye after his final individual rave before retirement
Alamy Live News

He added: "People like simple narratives – we created one a couple of years ago with good versus evil with Bolt and Gatlin.

"People are frustrated, they want to see clean sport and it’s simple and it is easy, it feels good to pin that on one person and that’s been Justin Gatlin.

"But it doesn’t get to the real heart of the issue which is drugs in sport and how we can clean that up, how do we start to win the fight against doping in sport.

Instagram Photo

Michael Johnson says the legacy of Usain Bolt is the celebration he enjoyed with the fans last night
Michael Johnson says the legacy of Usain Bolt is the celebration he enjoyed with the fans last night
Alamy Live News

"The Justin Gatlin situation, when he has retired that problem is still going to have to be addressed.

"Nobody wanted it to be Gatlin. It feels good for those people to criticise and boo, it feels good to blame him.

"But at the end of the day it does nothing to help the situation or to rectify the situation we are talking about with doping in sport.

"There are things you can do within the sport that would make it more difficult for athletes to come back – for example, prize money you have won, pay that back before you are allowed to come back.

Usain Bolt says Justin Gatlin deserved 100m Athletics World Championships 2017 victory, while Gatlin pays tribute to 'class act' Bolt
Usain Bolt congratulates justin Gatlin on his victory
Usain Bolt congratulates Justin Gatlin on his victory
Alamy Live News

"One of the dangers of the good versus evil narrative is we lose perspective of what this is all about – this is sport, it’s hard to go out there to win every time.

"The other seven athletes in the race weren’t on the same page as everyone else in this stadium, where it was all about this perfect ending to Bolt’s career.
"They wanted to hand him a loss, and Usain Bolt knew that."

 


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