Usain Bolt accepts a friendship bracelet apology from the Segway-novice cameraman

Usain Bolt sprinted to victory in the 200 metres on Thursday and was then knocked over by cameraman Tao Song
Today, Song spoke to the Jamaican sprinter and, by way of an apology, presented him with a red friendship bracelet
It has been revealed Song was a novice on a Segway and had been seen practising in a hallway before the race

Published:
11:23 GMT, 28 August 2015

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Updated:
13:28 GMT, 28 August 2015

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Usain Bolt assured the Segway-riding cameraman who knocked him off his feet at the World Championships in Beijing there are no hard feelings by accepting a friendship bracelet from the Chinese journalist.

Bolt sprinted to victory in the 200 metres on Thursday, but no sooner had he crossed the finish line, he was brought back down to earth by television cameraman Tao Song.

Today, Song spoke to the Jamaican sprinter after the race medal ceremony and, by way of an apology, presented him with a red bracelet – the lucky colour in China.

It has been revealed Song was a novice on a Segway and had been seen practising in a hallway before the race.

Apology: Usain Bolt shakes the hand of TV cameraman Tao Song who was riding a segway when he knocked the sprinter off his feet

No hard feelings: Broadcast journalist Tao Song gives Bolt a bracelet by way of apology on Friday at the World Championships in Beijing

The cameraman took the sprinter out from behind while riding the Segway at the World Champtionships in Beijing, China yesterday

Bolt made a beeline for the television cameraman during the medal ceremony after yet another winning performance in the 200 metres

Bolt was all smiles as Song, a television cameraman, presented him with a red friendship bracelet by way of an apology earlier today

Song spoke to the Jamaican sprinter after the race medal ceremony and placed a red friendship bracelet on his wrist as an apology

The world’s photographers were keen to capture the moment Bolt assured the Segway-riding cameraman there are no hard feelings

A barefoot Bolt was facing the stands saluting fans during his lap of honour when the cameraman lost control of the motorised board and hit the sprinter from behind.

Bolt fell backwards onto the cameraman, who is said to work for state-run China Central Television Station (CCTV), but escaped serious injury.

In a press conference beneath the Bird’s Nest stadium, Bolt joked the cameraman who crashed into him may have been paid by arch rival Justin Gatlin, beaten into the silver medal position for a second time in one week.

‘I don’t have my legs insured but I might think about it after that,’ Bolt said. ‘He (the cameraman) took the worst of it so I checked he was OK and he said sorry as much as he could.

‘He may have hit his head. I have a few cuts but I’m fine.’

There was drama during the lap of honour when cameraman Tao Song lost control of a Segway and crashed into the Jamaican sprinter

The 29-year-old was toppled by the cameraman and took a painful-looking tumble after he was taken out at the Bird’s Nest stadium

The Segway-riding television cameraman clattered into Bolt when the sprinter slowed down and faced the stands to salute fans

Jamaican sprinter Bolt (pictured holding the back of his left leg following the clash) was assisted by a member of staff at the stadium

Despite Bolt’s jovial take on the incident, it has not gone down well in China, where the communist government has banned it from being aired.

Television viewers in China only saw leaked footage of the crash.

Wenweipo, a newspaper in Hong Kong, has reported that a team of ‘skillful’ directors at CCTV were able to stop the scene from airing due to a 20-second time delay.

Southcn.com, the website of a government-run newspaper based in Guangdong Province, southern China, claims staff at CCTV shared the video captured on their television monitor for ‘fun’.

They are said to have been punished by their supervisors and were told to delete the video.

A journalist at Sina, one of the largest news websites in China, says he saw Tao Song repeatedly practising on the Segway on August 23, the second day of the championships.