Usain Bolt to run his last race but his net worth will still be gold

He had demanded that the world write one last headline about him -- "Unbeatable. Unstoppable." -- and at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday, Usain St Leo Bolt can still have his final sporting wish granted.

Those quicksilver feet which always dealt in gold have another chance to obey his command as he seeks to bring down the curtain on his matchless sprint career and land a 20th global championship title in the 4 x 100 metres relay.

There may never have been an anti-climax in sport quite as deflating as Saturday's 100 metres final when Bolt, in his last solo race, proved both beatable and stoppable, defeated by the two-time doping offender Justin Gatlin.

It seemed the greatest entertainer that athletics -- and maybe even the whole panoply of sport -- has known had run out of magic, betrayed by a creaking start from the blocks.

Bolt's worths more than $34M most of which came from sponsorhips. Only $2M of that came from winning races.

Big winner in defeat

Even as he posed for all the selfies afterwards, demonstrating a grace and sportsmanship that proved him just as big a winner in rare defeat, it still felt wrong, a desperately downbeat way to depart for a sportsman who has brought so much joy to all.

So, to the good news. Delightfully, there are now two last spins for the road. There was supposed to be only one, the 4 x 100 metres relay final on Saturday night, but Bolt has offered us an extra treat by opting to run the heats too earlier that morning.

Saturday night will, he promises us, be the last time we ever see him flowing down a track, with that unique ground-devouring stride that used to make other fine sprinters appear like shrimps wallowing in treacle.

No worries about having to haul himself stiffly out of the blocks here; he'll take the baton on the anchor leg and fly. He always did look his most imperious with a rolling start and he still holds the fastest 100m relay leg time, an unreal 8.65 seconds.