On Sunday night, Usain Bolt added yet another gold medal to his vast collection.
It took him precisely 9.81 seconds to make history during the 100m final at the Rio Olympics. Not only did he become the first athlete to win three Olympic titles in the event, but he was also the star of one of the most iconic sporting images of recent times.
Photographer Cameron Spencer managed to capture the Jamaican grinning at the rest of the field in a shot that encapsulates not only Bolt’s playful nature but his utter dominance over his rivals. It is up there with Neil Leifer’s famous shot of Muhammad Ali towering over a vanquished Sonny Liston in 1965.
💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 what a photograph @usainbolt pic.twitter.com/pz8bIOFJKb
— Zoe Ball (@ZoeTheBall) August 15, 2016
As with any such famous photo, especially in this day and age, it has been subject to many a parody and meme. Some have been very funny others, and others a little less so…
https://twitter.com/tomdisco/status/765818532827463680
I knew it was only a matter of time before Bolt became a meme 😂 pic.twitter.com/9OdFcLj3UD
— kv 🅿️ (@kvr5_) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/womenappealer/status/765019822392504320
Popular US television host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres is no stranger to breaking the internet – her famous Oscars selfie broke retweeting records – but her attempt at joining in the viral fun has backfired, and afforded her all the wrong kind of attention.
On Monday, she tweeted a photoshopped image of herself on Bolt’s back with the description, ‘This is how I’m running errands from now on. #Rio2016‘…
This is how I’m running errands from now on. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/gYPtG9T1ao
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) August 15, 2016
It is a joke that has not gone down well with many of her followers. With racial tensions high in the US at present, and the Black Lives Matter movement keen to redress the balance of discrimination at all levels of American society, some have taken exception to an image that they find distasteful at best.
https://twitter.com/MiQL/status/765336547273027584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MikeAllen_47/status/765332700194443264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Because you haven't been riding on black people's backs for 500yrs in America 😊 https://t.co/Az5lWAJ3H6
— 𝙎𝙆𝙔𝘿𝙒𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙍 (@_SonOfMars) August 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/LeslieMac/status/765594595703029760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/emilypttrsn/status/765339751910080514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Others disagree, defending Ellen and arguing that neither the intention nor image is offensive…
https://twitter.com/brittsavemoney/status/765364011500175360
@usainbolt literally I'm black and don't take offense to this she's basically complimenting him on his speed and stamina
— 🐚 (@fourfivehours) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/MartynEwoma/status/765842532269981696
https://twitter.com/tbyrd423/status/765341384178032640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ellen herself responded to the furore with this follow-up tweet:
I am highly aware of the racism that exists in our country. It is the furthest thing from who I am.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) August 16, 2016
As for Usain Bolt himself, he seemed non-plussed and retweeted the image from his official account.
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