Usain St Leo Bolt has long since cemented his name in history as one of the world’s greatest athletes. The Jamaican sprinter gained international fame at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he snagged gold medals in both the 100 and 200-meter events.
He smashed both previously held world records and became the first person to hold them simultaneously. Bolt, who retired in 2017, has been enjoying the fruits of his illustrious career in track and field having achieved eight Olympic golds, 11 World Championship golds and world records in 100m, 200m and 4x100m sporting events. With all of this success, it comes as no surprise that the legendary sprinter sat down in an interview with CNN Sports to discuss his greatest accomplishments.
When asked about the greatest out of his many accolades, Usain Bolt wasted no time in naming his gold medals. He is proud, he explains, of his status as “The World’s Fastest Man” but acknowledges the gravity of competing at three consecutive Olympics and winning gold medals at each one even more.
The interview continued with the CNN journalist touching on the topic of advancements in shoe technology. It has been widely debated the effects that performance-enhancing running shoes might have on track and field and the wider Sports Industry. It was inquired of Bolt whether or not he worried of his world records being broken, aided by sophisticated shoe tech rather than natural talent. The sprinter nonchalantly expressed that the possibility doesn’t bother him as everyone would have known the merits in which he won versus an athlete using enhanced footwear.
“There are so many people that can say I am a former World record holder, but there’s not a lot of people who can say I won — just me — that can say I won three Olympic gold medals back-to-back,”
he added.
“To me, that is why I pushed myself so hard to dominate because I know at any point in time anyone can break your world record. If you put so much emphasis on that, then what would you have left.”
Despite his lean 6 foot 5-inch frame Bolt harbours a love of fast food. So much so that as he tucked into the quick meals during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a bet was made with him, his agent Ricky Sims and his coach Glen Mills that he would develop “a big gut” within two years of his retirement. The former sprinter, now over three years into his retirement and still maintaining his stellar physique says Sims and Mills aren’t happy about losing the bet. Bolt expounds on how his career has taught him the importance of exercise and nutrition. The recent arrival of his appropriately named daughter Olympia Lightning Bolt also motivates him to be around to see his family.
Life after athletics consists of family time spent with his partner, Kasi Bennet, and his daughter. The retired athlete also squeezes in workouts and time exploring other career ventures. Bolt speaks on his building excitement to see the next generation of athletes compete in the Tokyo Games from the stands “like a true fan”. When asked about his list of athletes to watch he held out on naming them explaining that with the pandemic leading to the postponement of the Games, a lot of Olympians weren’t given a chance to showcase their skills. He awaits Tokyo to properly make his judgement on this generation’s strongest and most talented.
