"It is with a heavy heart that I apologize to all my fans, family, countrymen and supporters from all over the globe, who have so vigorously supported me through my recent tough times. I have had more support through my struggles than I ever had when I was on top. It is truly appreciated.
My 100m dash participation in the in Athens Olympics is over.
It has been a good ‘run’, but I have to listen to my body now, which, after 12 years of pushing it to lengths few humans ever have, has no fire left in it. My fight this year was used up just to get through my constant injuries and get to the Olympic Games healthy, and I am of course very upset that I wasn’t able to perform better on what, for me, has always been my biggest and favorite stage.
Sometimes, the passing of the torch, the ‘death’ of the older generation, is painful to watch - but it is inevitable. I wish my countrymen, teammates and fellow sprinters all the best and hope that they will CLEANLY further the event - and the sport.
To the haters and critics, for whom a World Championship, 4 Olympic medals, 28 sub-tens, 9 sub-20s and countless victories all over the globe over a decade was never enough, thanks to you, too, because I could never have done it without your motivation, either."
Ato Jabari Boldon.
-excerpt from this website, http://www.atoboldon.com