Usain Bolt helps set a Commonwealth Games record as Jamaica pip England to win 4x100m relay

• Jamaica unsurprisingly take gold at Hampden Park 
• Adam Gemili and co took a solid silver in front of an adoring crowd
• Bolt brought his team home in 37.58 seconds on Saturday night 

By Laura Williamson Follow @@laura_mail

Published: 15:24 EST, 2 August 2014 | Updated: 19:32 EST, 2 August 2014

There can few stranger images in sport than the sight of the world’s fastest man bobbing around to a karaoke rendition of The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) as he prepares to run the final leg of a relay in a major final. But that is Usain Bolt all over.

His Commonwealth charm offensive continued last night as he treated Hampden Park to his famous ‘Lightning Bolt’ pose and then anchored Jamaica to gold in the 4 x 100 metres in a Games record of 37.58 seconds.

Afterwards, there were the inevitable ‘selfies’, hundreds of autographs and an extended lap of honour as Bolt donned a tartan bonnet and scarf while the crowd serenaded their star with The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond.

VIDEO Scroll down for 'Bolt bites back after Logan says Games are fine without him’ 

Lightning: Usain Bolt landed his first Commonwealth Games gold medal by anchoring Jamaica to 4x100m glory

Trailblazer: Bolt stormed home along the final stretch to record a Commonwealth Games record

Playing up to the cameras: Eyes widened, Bolt was keen to show off to the watching millions on television 

Put it there, mate: Bolt lands a high-five with a young enthusiastic supporter in the crowd 

Grinning faces: Fans with lightening bolts painted onto their foreheads smile with the fastest man in the world

It was all utterly, wonderfully bonkers; a fitting end to a competition that has been full of quirks, charisma and some very creditable performances.

Bolt said he had enjoyed his first Commonwealth Games experience but warned it would be his last, with the 27-year-old eyeing retirement after the 2017 World Championships in London.

He said: ‘I might just go onto 2017, but I think that will be my last championships. The training is not so easy. I remember asking Michael Johnson why the time came for him to retire and he said “when there’s nothing else to achieve”. I hate losing so that’s when I will retire.

‘I’m glad I came to Glasgow. The crowd was great. I felt like I was at the London Olympics. They were pretty loud. I love music so it kind of worked out. It got me hyped up for the race, so it was good.

‘For me, the Games was always relevant. In ‘06 I strained my hamstring a few weeks before and it was too late in the season for me to go in India (in 2010). I always wanted to go to the Commonwealths. It was always on my to-do list.

‘It’s always just great to have fun with the fans. They made the Games what it was. For me that was good. But this new thing about the selfies is making the laps of honour really long. That was a first.

‘But the people here are just fun. It’s just been wonderful — they’ve been cool. Even though I was cold, the reception has been warm.

‘I may be unique but I’m just me. I do what I do differently from everybody else. I bring the energy and I like to interact with the crowd.’

With a quartet of Jake Livermore, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Nickel Ashmead and Bolt there was never really any doubt about the result, but silver medallists England were level coming into the home straight after a series of slick changeovers.

Unfortunately for Adam Gemili, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Richard Kilty and Danny Talbot, Bolt was lurking in the final 100m, and his eyes were firmly on the clock.

Bolt bites back after Logan says Games are fine without him

So close: England, with Adam Gemili its star, managed to finish in second place and take silver

England had earlier won gold in the 4 x 400m relay, courtesy of a stunning last leg by 19-year-old Matthew Hudson-Smith.

The teenager ran a huge personal best of 44.97 in the Diamond League meeting at Hampden Park last month and went even quicker last night. His split of 44.70 was sufficient to hold off the Bahamas’ Olympic relay champion, Chris Brown.

Hudson-Smith is an exciting prospect. He is still not into double figures in terms of the number of senior 400m races he has contested after moving up from the 200m last year, and yet will go to next month’s European Championships in Zurich as the fastest man in the field.

Conrad Williams ran the first leg for England, passing the baton to Michael Bingham in first place. The third man, Daniel Awde, was passed by Renny Quow of Trinidad and Tobago, but Hudson-Smith was still in contention for the title. He did not panic, maintained an even pace and saved a last surge for the line to seal gold in 3min 0.46sec.

All smiles: Gemili, Richard Kilty, Danny Talbot and Harry Aikines-Aryeetet pose for photos

Hudson-Smith said: ‘I saw my mum at the end so I am lost for words. That was crazy. One minute I’m Under 20s, then I’m seniors at the Commonwealths and I’ve got the Europeans next.’

England’s women’s 4 x 400m quartet won bronze behind Jamaica and Nigeria. The gamble to put Christine Ohuruogu on the opening leg did not really pay off as the world 400m champion ran only 52.10 to hand over the baton in third place, but the 30-year-old is clearly still lacking race fitness after opting not to contest the individual event.

Shana Cox, Kelly Massey and Anyika Onuora, who came fourth in the 200m final, maintained that third spot to win bronze in 3:27.24.

The women’s 4 x 100m team also finished third. Jamaica, anchored by triple world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, dominated to set a new Games record of 41.83, but the English quarter of Asha Philip, Bianca Williams, Jodie Williams and Ashleigh Nelson won bronze behind Nigeria to cap a highly successful competition for England’s young female sprinters.

It was a difficult for the field event athletes on the last night of competition at Hampden Park. Persistent rain meant the start of the women’s pole vault was delayed by 45 minutes, and when the competition did finally begin, six athletes failed to clear a height. Wales’ Sally Peake, 28, won silver after clearing 4.25m, with England’s Sally Scott clinching bronze with 3.80. The event was won by Australia’s Alana Boyd.

Former world champion Phillips Idowu struggled in the conditions in the triple jump, registering just one legal jump of 16.45 to finish fifth.

There was disappointment in the 1500m final for Chris O’Hare of Scotland and England’s Charlie Grice, too. Where 5,000m bronze medallist Jo Pavey refused to bow to the reputations of the Africans, the British duo seemed to pay them too much respect. O’Hare finished sixth and Grice seventh, despite the relatively pedestrian pace. 

Comments (23)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now