Moreover, the respective departures of global icons Usain Bolt and Wladimir Klitschko were conducted with grace, dignity and humility. 

Both have not only been fine sportsmen in the truest sense of the word, but giants both physically and metaphorically.

It was one race too far for Usain, and one fight too many for Wladimir.

On the track as well as in the ring, in all theatres of sport, while the heart may be willing, the legs catch up with you before any opponent.

Although Bolt's retirement at 30 has annoyingly been shrouded in ugly controversy because his defeat in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships 100 metres final by an unrepentant drugs cheat, it must not detract from the treasure trove of magical moments his flying feet have bequeathed us.

Much has been said and written about Justin Gatlin's triumph, if it can be labelled as such.

For my two-penn'orth, all I will say is that sport's authorities have only themselves to blame for the supreme irony of having top spot on the podium occupied by a man who has twice been only temporarily banished from the sport when it should have been for good.

Apparently Gatlin still fails to recognise that he did anything wrong by ingesting substances which, who knows, may have been lodged in his system long enough to assist him not only overcome injuries but sustain, and perhaps enhance, the strength and speed which enabled him, at 35, to be draped in another gold medal.

Ironic, too, that it was Lord Sebastian Coe, the reforming President of the IAAF and long-time advocate of life bans, who made that embarrassing presentation to a background of boos.

The congratulations may have been clipped and the handshake perfunctory. But Gatlin was allowed back into the sport following a second offence which he claimed had occurred when a disgruntled trainer had rubbed testosterone into his backside during a massage.

Now his reinstatement has come back to bite athletics on the bum.

Subsequently Coe, at least, has made it clear that he has no brief for Gatlin or any other of the fistfuls of convicted "doping felons" who were unashamedly on parade at the London Olympic Stadium.

As his Lordship lamented "sport rarely settles upon the perfect script".

Yet I am surprised Coe elected to make that presentation to someone he inwardly knew was not a worthy winner.

The point would have been made - to Gatlin and the baying public - had he left the ceremony to a minion.

Having been shafted by a bolt from the blue, so to speak, Usain paid generous tribute to his conquerors, both Gatlin and second-placed Christian Coleman. 

He declined to bad mouth Gatlin or blame anyone but himself, and it was fittingly becoming of him.

Meanwhile, the BBC's cheerleader-in-chief Steve Cram held a mic in one hand and a broom in the other, poised to sweep any mention of Gatlin's drugs history, or anything else untoward in the sport, under the commentary box carpet.

Cram describes Bolt as the greatest athlete of all time. Some may take issue with that, citing Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis or even Daley Thompson, but it is a far healthier debate than the outcome of Usain's final 100m.

His valedictory appearance actually will be in the relay this week. After that - who knows?

A global ambassador for the sport, certainly. There could be none finer.

But just imagine what a fantastic sprint coach he would make.

He knows his own body and his decision to call it a day seems sensible, as does that of Klitschko in opting to quit rather than evoke the return clause in his contract with Anthony Joshua. He doesn't need the money - or the pain.

In going out honourably on his shield at 41, Klitschko has demonstrated the wisdom of a truly noble artist.

He and big brother Vitali brought dignity, erudition and craftsmanship to boxing, dominating their division for over a decade.

Indeed, Wladimir's longevity as a world heavyweight champion is second only to that of Joe Louis and his record has secured his place in the annals of the sport as one of the supreme heavyweight czars of all time.

Not the greatest, however. He would bow to Ali, Louis, Holmes, Frazier or Tyson, but he must rank in the top ten. I have always liked and admired the six foot, six inches, multi-lingual, multi-belted Ukrainian.

Media-friendly, always charming and possessing a crisp right hand wallop his late trainer Emanuel Steward maintained was among the most destructive boxing has ever witnessed.

Yet the cerebral Dr Steelhammer, PhD was not every fan's cup of tea. He had tactical flaws which Tyson Fury brilliantly exposed, and a dodgy chin which cost him four of his five defeats. He was also not averse to pulling a few strokes behind the scenes to gain a psychological advantage in his adopted home country of Germany.

He may have been a bit robotic, a product of the old Eastern bloc style of back-foot boxing, but I always found him compelling to watch and a delight to interview.

In the 21 years since turning pro after winning a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, his ring record of 64 wins in 69 bouts, 54 by knock-out, and participation in 29 world title fights, with 23 successful defences, is unique.

He also holds the record of defeating the most boxers with an undefeated record, at 12, and has beaten ten current or former world champions throughout his career.

Klitschko says he has big business plans for the future but, like his Jamaican counterpart, I hope he is not lost to the sport.

He knows every aspect of the sport inside and out and if boxing is ever to have a unifying global commissioner then, sorry Dr Wu, Wladimir Klitschko would be my immediate nomination.

In the meantime it is time to pay tribute and say "thanks for the memories" to these iconic legends of foot and fist.