Why Did Usain Bolt Just Lose 1 of His 9 Olympic Gold Medals?

Usain Bolt just lost one of his nine gold medals over an issue dating back to the 2008 Olympic Games.

January 25, 2017

Stealing a gold medal from Usain Bolt—who is widely considered to be one of the fastest men to ever walk the planet—isn’t easy. But the International Olympic Committee just found a way to do it.

As of yesterday, Bolt was the proud owner of nine Olympic gold medals, including three from the 2008 Olympic Games, three from the 2012 Olympic Games, and three from the 2016 Olympic Games. But on Wednesday, the IOC announced they would be taking away the gold medal Bolt earned as part of the 4x100-meter relay team in 2008 as a result of a doping case involving one of his teammates.

According to the IOC, Bolt’s teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for methylhexaneamine, which is a banned stimulant, during a reanalysis of samples taken from athletes during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Bolt, Carter, Michael Frater, and Asafa Powell teamed up to take home the gold medal for Jamaica in 2008, but now, they will all be forced to give their medals back.

"The Jamaican team is disqualified," the IOC said in a statement released early Wednesday. "The corresponding medals, medalist pins, and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned."

The ruling will hand Trinidad and Tobago the gold medal in the race, with Japan being upgraded to silver and Brazil taking home the bronze.

At the end of the day, Bolt losing one of his gold medals won’t do much to tarnish his overall legacy. But can you imagine how pissed he must be about it? He hasn’t spoken out about losing the medal just yet, and this is his most recent social media post:

But we’d be willing to bet that he’s not thrilled about having to hand one of his medals back over to the IOC.