The end is coming. A marvel of this sporting age is one championship away from retirement, 30 seconds or so from consigning himself to history.
The age of Usain Bolt is nearly over and so the present must be cherished.
Bolt, the fastest man in history, one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived, will run his last race at the World Athletics Championships in London, which start Friday.
He will retire having left his mark on history: the first man to win three 100m Olympic titles, the world record holder in both the 100m and 200m, a winner of 23 major gold medals.
His legacy is assured. No man has run with such speed or enjoyed such longevity. The 30-year-old's extraordinary achievements will be looked back upon with wonder by future generations.
They will watch replays of the young Bolt of Beijing, hushing the crowd on the starting blocks before bang... history -- his arms raised, thumping his chest, clocking a barely believable 9.69 seconds to shatter the 100m world record.
There have been so many glorious moments.
Berlin in 2009, when the Jamaican reduced his 100m and 200m world records further; London 2012 when all three of his Olympic sprint titles were retained.
Back to Beijing in 2015, older, ailing, but managing to fend off the almight challenge of twice-banned Justin Gatlin to retain his grip on 100m and 200m world titles.
Then there was Rio last summer, his Olympic farewell ending in further triumph.
Those who will live in a Bolt-less sporting age will wish they had been there, just as we all want to be inside London's Olympic Stadium on Saturday when the history-maker lines up in the 100m final -- should the heats and semifinals go to plan -- for his last competitive individual race.
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