LONDON — The loudest roar of these world track and field championships came on Saturday night as Usain Bolt lay facedown on the track and in great pain.
The roar had nothing to do with Bolt.
After Bolt took the baton from his teammate Yohan Blake to run the anchor leg of Jamaica’s 4x100-meter men’s relay, their team was in third place. In years past, that would have been a minor concern for Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history.
This time, he began to gather speed, only to pull up and shout in pain from what appeared to be a left leg injury about 60 meters from the finish line.