The untold story of how bi-polar man almost ruined Usain Bolt’s London 2012 heroics

It will take a while for the world to forget Usain Bolt’s heroics at the London 2012 Olympics.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news

The Jamaican sprint king stunned the world by defending his 100m, 200m, and 4x100m titles in record-breaking fashion.

However, behind the golden finishes lies a lesser-known, unsettling incident that unfolded just moments before Bolt’s iconic 100m final.

‘There’s more in the tank’ –Simbine on rubbing shoulders with Bolt’s World Record

As Bolt lined up on the start line at the London Stadium, ready to defend his 100m crown, an unexpected disruption nearly marred the most anticipated event of the Games.

A man named Ashley Gill-Webb, then 34 and suffering from bipolar disorder, had snuck into the stadium using an old ticket.

Gill-Webb, from South Milford, North Yorkshire, managed to push his way to the front of an exclusive seating area.

From his seat near the track, Gill-Webb began to hurl abuse at Bolt, shouting, "Usain, I want you to lose, Usain, you are bad, you are an a*****."

He loudly backed Bolt’s main rival, yelling, "Believe in Blake, not Usain," about fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake.

Then, as the sprinters took off, Gill-Webb flung a plastic beer bottle toward the starting blocks. This reckless move could have caused a false start or distracted the runners.

Kenyan hurdler breaks own national record

Fortunately, the bottle landed harmlessly and had no impact on the race.

Unfazed and focused, Bolt surged to victory, clocking 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record, ahead of Blake and America’s Justin Gatlin, who claimed bronze.

Gill-Webb’s actions, however, did not go unnoticed.

He was swiftly confronted by Dutch judo bronze medalist Edith Bosch, who had been sitting nearby and witnessed the bottle-throwing.

Security intervened and escorted him out of the stadium. He was arrested and later found guilty of public disorder in January 2013.

In court, it emerged that Gill-Webb had been in the grip of a manic episode. A psychiatrist, Dr. Roberta Adams, told the court that Gill-Webb did not expect to go past the gate, but he found himself in the stadium.

A look into the star-studded fields for the World Athletics Relays

"I don't believe that he expected to get into the Olympic Park. I think he thought he would try it. Yet, he made it to the centre of global attention for all the wrong reasons,” Adams said.

Despite initially denying the incident, Gill-Webb’s DNA was found on the bottle, and he admitted he could not remember what had happened.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison by Judge William Ashworth at Thames Magistrates Court in February 2013.

"You intended to target the highest-profile event at the London Olympics and put off Usain Bolt. By good fortune, you failed... You did, however, spoil the occasion for some spectators and tarnish the spirit of the Games,” Ashworth ruled.

Thankfully, the bizarre act had no lasting effect on Bolt’s Olympic journey. Just days later, he won the 200m, becoming the first man in history to successfully defend both sprint titles, a feat he first accomplished in Beijing in 2008.

He then led Jamaica to gold in the 4x100m relay, completing another Olympic treble. Four years later in Rio, Bolt did it again, recording a historic 'triple-triple' before being stripped of one relay gold due to a teammate’s doping violation.