Sprinters Can't Take Down Usain Bolt, but a Segway Can
Usain Bolt, left, crouches after being hit by a cameraman on a Segway after competing in the men's 200-meter final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, August 27.Usain Bolt, left, crouches after being hit by a cameraman on a Segway after competing in the men's 200-meter final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, August 27.Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
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Polly Mosendz is a breaking news reporter for Newsweek. She was previously a staff writer for The Wire and associate editor for The Atlantic. Her reporting on the Islamic State has been recognized by a variety of organizations, including the Middle East Institute. Her writing has appeared in The New York Observer, The Commercial Observer, Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, Yahoo News and a variety of other publications. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, she is fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian. Mosendz attended the New School University where she studied media writing and American history. She lives in Greenwich Village with many books.
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Updated | Usain Bolt was having a pretty good Thursday: The record-setting sprinter had just won his 10th world title, the 200-meter dash at the World Championships in China, and had set the top time for 2015 along the way, 19.55 seconds.
Then, he got hit by a Segway.
Bolt was celebrating his win when a cameraman riding the Segway accidentally veered into a barrier, causing the contraption to turn directly into Bolt and sending both men crashing down. As the Segway rolled off on its own, the superb athlete Bolt rolled backward and stood right up.
This is a much better Vine of the Usain Bolt accident - mainly due to the Italian commentator's cry of "MAMMA MIA!" https://t.co/XPN9LonOQn
Bolt seems to be not much worse for the wear, saying: "It didn't actually hit me in my Achilles, it hit me in my calf area. It's alright, I will get over it...I am going to get it massaged, ice it up a bit and I should be fine."
He even joked about it, saying his biggest rival, Justin Gatlin, must've paid off the Segway driver. Gatlin teased back, saying: "I want my money back."
"The important thing is that he is OK. I'm fine and ready to get back to work," Song Tao, the cameraman, said on Friday. The two reconciled after the Segway incident.
But there's one thing Bolt won't be able to recover from: this unfortuante photo.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica was taken down by a cameraman on a Segway but he quickly recovered, tumbling over his head to get up. Usain Bolt of Jamaica was taken down by a cameraman on a Segway but he quickly recovered, tumbling over his head to get up. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
This article has been updated to reflect the cameraman's apology.
