Jamaica's track shocker leaves Bolt questioning retirement

Usain Bolt appears to be regretting his retirement after Jamaica failed to win a single sprint event at the Commonwealth Games.

As Bolt partied into the early hours and hung out with movie stars on the Gold Coast, it wasn't so much fun for the Jamaica track team he left behind.

At their first major competition since Bolt retired after a decade of dominance, the Jamaican juggernaut caught a flat on the Gold Coast, failing to win a single sprinting gold medal.

ALL CLASS: Kurt Fearnley responds to closing ceremony furore

SO GOOD: Usain Bolt's legendary moment at closing ceremony

Yohan Blake's flop in the men's 100m set the tone as Jamaica's confidence was immediately dented by South African Akani Simbine.

Blake, who picked up a world title in 2011 after Bolt false-started, could only finish third behind Simbine's countryman Henricho Bruintjies after a calamitous start.

To add insult to injury, double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson failed to win a medal in the women's 200m as Shaunae Miller-Uibo romped to victory for the Bahamas.

And with Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards capturing gold in the men's 200m and countrywoman Michelle-Lee Ahye an upset winner of the women's 100m, Jamaica's Caribbean rivals enjoyed their days in the sun.

Jamaica's Olympic chief insisted that there was no crisis, pointing to a new generation of sprinters coming through.

"It was a perfectly creditable performance," Christopher Samuda told AFP. "Jamaican athletes usually peak in June or July."

"Usain Bolt had a very big influence but we have a wealth of talent and the future for Jamaican sprinting is in very good hands."

But after the Jamaican men's 4x100m relay team were crushed by England to take third behind South Africa in a puny title defence, Bolt took to social media to question whether he had retired too soon.

"Did I retire too soon? Hmmm," Bolt tweeted.

"Watching the relay just now made me ask myself a few questions."

Blake insisted he would bounce back this season.

"I was in record-breaking shape, and I'm still in that," he said. "We were dominating worldwide, and my coach is working to get me back to that level so I can dominate again."

While Jamaica appeared to have lost the fear factor, Blake dismissed the threat to their recent sprinting dominance.

"It's not that they're getting better," he said. "It's that we're not performing."

Jamaica's 4x400m women's relay team made some amends with victory ahead of Nigeria and Botswana, with Botswana winning gold in the men's 4x400m.

But life after Bolt began with a jolt for Jamaica -- one that could ultimately change the landscape of world sprinting.

with agencies