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The stage was set in London for one, last burst of speed from Usain Bolt as he took to the track for the final time in what has been a career second-to-none. An 11-time World Champion, a gold medal in the 4x100m relay would have the perfect farewell for the legendary Jamaican, who has inspired people across the globe with his performances on the field and his behaviour off it.
However, what happened was something that will go down in history as one of the most tragic sporting incidents of all-time. Sometimes, the sporting gods choose to ignore what could be perfectly scripted swansongs and instead, replace them with instances of tragedy that seem really harsh and unfair.
In this article, we look at five instances when farewells of some of the greatest athletes in their respective sports went horribly, horribly wrong!
#1 Usain Bolt
After finishing with a bronze medal in his last 100m event race, the Jamaican all-time great would have wanted to bow out with a gold in the 4x100m relay at the World Championships. He was running the anchor leg and everything looked like it was going according to plan, as he received the baton with his team in third place and all over the world, fans waited with bated breath, waiting for him to pull out the giant, trademark strides and surge into the lead.
However, what transpired was truly heartbreaking and iconic at the same time. As he started his sprint, Bolt pulled up clutching his hamstring and while other runners sped past him, he fell to the track grimacing in pain. It was a 'DNF' for Bolt in his very last race and considering the feats he has achieved in the past decade, it is the most anticlimactic thing one can ever imagine.
#2 Sir Don Bradman
The greatest batsman to have ever played Test cricket, Australian legend Don Bradman's numbers speak for themselves. The most iconic statistic of his is batting average of 99.94, which could have easily been in three figures, had it not been for a sad end to his final innings.
Coming in to bat at the Oval in the fifth and final match of the 1948 Ashes, the great man needed just four runs to ensure that his average would be a minimum of 100. He came out to bat to an ovation by the English team but quite inexplicably, he was out for a duck on his second delivery, clean bowled by leg spinner Eric Hollies with a googly.
It was quite the anticlimax for Bradman, having amassed tons of runs over his career that are still unmatched decades later. A three-digit average would have been the cherry on the top, but alas, it was not to be.
#3 Zinedine Zidane
Zidane, fondly known as Zizou, is considered to be one of the greatest footballers ever in the modern era as well as of all-time. A World Cup winner with France in 1998, he was leading the Les Bleus at the 2006 World Cup and with some incredible displays on the pitch, he took them to the final against Italy.
A World Cup to end a glittering and trophy-laden career would have been the perfect story but what transpired in the final was poles apart. Zizou gave the French side the lead from the spot, but Italy equalized later and the game headed on to extra time.
With 10 minutes to go to penalties, Zidane, out of the blue, headbutted Italy's Marco Materazzi, for which he was duly sent off. France would go on to lose the final in penalties and who knows what could have happened if not for Zidane's heated moment.
It was a sad end to the career of one of the greatest players ever and goes down as one of the most iconic moments in the history of football.
#4 Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is one of the most renowned and celebrated sportspersons in history, inspiring people with his achievements in the ring and outside it. He was rated as the greatest athlete of the 20th century Sports Illustrated and BBC, and nicknamed 'the Greatest', Ali's trash talk and intimidation of his opponents are truly legendary.
He has been involved in some of the greatest boxing matches in history, against the likes of Joe Frazier and George Foreman, but his match against Larry Holmes in 1980 is widely criticized. A year prior to it, he had announced his retirement but came back to fight Holmes for the world heavyweight championship.
Ali was a shadow of the man he was, suffering from stutters and trembling hands, but he still chose to fight. Holmes dominated the match, with Ali barely managing to fight back. The fight was stopped in the 11th round by Ali's trainer, which made it the only loss he suffered via knockout.
#5 Steven Gerrard
After 17 years of glorious service to Liverpool FC, Steven Gerrard was all set to bring the curtains down on his time with Reds away to Stoke City, in the last match of the 2014-15 season. The last few games prior to this one were disappointing for the former England captain, with him getting sent off 38 seconds after coming on as a substitute against rivals Manchester United and then, his side lost his final game at Anfield to Crystal Palace 3-1.
The visit to the Britannia was the last chance for him to go out on a high but what happened was truly shocking. Stoke decimated Liverpool and at half-time, they raced into a 5-0 lead. Gerrard scored in the second half but the game was to end 6-1, which was Liverpool's worst loss in 52 years.
A sad end for one of the most iconic one-club men in football history!
