Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. He has won 8 gold medals across 3 Olympics and has dominated sprinting for over a decade. Though he has considered retiring after the 2016 Olympics or 2017 World Championships, Bolt still hopes to compete in the Commonwealth Games relay and add to his considerable medal haul. He maintains an interest in football and hopes to play after retiring from track and field.

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FACTFILE
Full name: Usain St. Leo Bolt
Height: 6’5″ (1.95 metres)
Weight: 207 pounds (94 kg)
Place of birth: Trelawny,Jamaica
Date of birth: August 21, 1986
Place of residence: Kingston,Jamaica
WORLD RECORDS
100m – 9.58 seconds, Berlin, 2009
200m – 19.19 seconds, Berlin, 2009
4x100m – 36.84 seconds, London, 2012
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS
100m – 9.69 seconds, Beijing, 2008
100m – 9.63 seconds, London, 2012
200m – 19.30 seconds, Beijing, 2008
200m – 19.32 seconds, London, 2012
4x100m – 37.10 seconds, Beijing, 2008
4x100m – 36.84 seconds, London, 2012
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDALS
100m – 9.58 seconds, Berlin, 2009
100m – 9.77 seconds, Moscow, 2013
200m – 19.19 seconds, Berlin, 2009
200m – 19.40 seconds, Daegu, 2011
200m – 19.66 seconds, Moscow, 2013
4x100m – 37.31 seconds, Berlin, 2009
4x100m – 37.04 seconds, Daegu, 2011
4x100m – 37.36 seconds, Moscow, 2013
WORLDJUNIOR RECORDS
200m – 19.93 seconds, Kingston, 2002
WORLDJUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDALS
200m – 20.61 seconds, Kingston, 2004
the chance to try and secure the
only major gold medal elud-
ing him at the Commonwealth
Games.
However, he will compete
only in the 4x100m relay after
missing the Jamaican trials last
month following his rehabilita-
tion from a foot injury, which
has ruled him out of action this
season.
He said: “I do not wish to
take the place of anyone who
qualifies in an individual event,
but am available for relay duty
if the selectors feel I can be an
asset to the Jamaican team in
Glasgow. I have received lots of
requests, invitations and mes-
sages of support from my fans
in Scotland, who are looking
forward to a great event.”
If he adds another gold med-
al to his considerable collection
— he also won two silvers at the
2007 World Championships —
one wonders what remains for
this sporting phenomenon to
achieve.
Given his stunning suprem-
acy at sprints (he lost only his
fifth 100m race last year, for
instance), would Bolt consider
attempting longer distances —
the 400m, perhaps, as desired
by Johnson? Or how about
tackling a marathon for fun?
Bolt replied emphatically: “I
have no interest in running the
400m. I have definitely no in-
terest in running a marathon.
Marathon runners and sprint-
ers are completely different.”
Similarly, while he took part
in a race against a bus in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, in December
2013 (which Bolt won, unsur-
prisingly), do not expect him
to repeat such stunts against
a cheetah or another animal
famed for its blistering speed.
Boltsaid:“Irarelyrunagainst
anyone other than sprinters. I
don’t think I will be racing any
animals anytime soon.”
While he may be capable of
superhuman sporting acts, like
every mortal Bolt cannot defy
the ticking hand of time, and to
this end he accepts retirement
is looming large on the horizon.
“I will retire from athlet-
ics either after the 2016 Olym-
pic Games or the 2017 World
Championships,” he said. “For
this year, I plan to run a number
of races, but the main thing is
to end the season healthy and
fresh as I have to train very hard
for 2015 and 2016.”
Of his future plans, Bolt does
not harbour any ambitions to
become an athletics coach, but
hopes to remain in the sport in
some capacity.
Would he be interested in
helping out athletes in the
UAE?
“I have not yet been there,
but hopefully someone will in-
vite me to come soon,” he said.
Bolt is also eager to parade
his talents in another sport –
football – when his track-and-
field days come to an end.
He said: “I played a lot of
cricket when I was younger, but
nowadays I’m more interested
in football. I would like to play
football at some level when I re-
tire from track and field. I am a
big Manchester United fan and
last season was tough for us. I
am excited about next season as
we try to rebuild our team.
“I have watched the World
Cup with interest to see if there
are some players who could be
interesting for United. Myself, I
am a midfield player.”
Action man
He added that he is also keen
to maintain his work with his
foundation, which supports
underprivileged youngsters in
Jamaica, and other business
interests.
Given his easygoing charm,
charisma and seemingly per-
petual sunny disposition, Bolt
will undoubtedly not be short of
offers for media work when he
calls time on his stellar career.
It’s an arena which he has
already entered, too, to humor-
ous effect.
A Virgin Media television
advert for superfast broadband
in the United Kingdom is capi-
talising on his penchant for
clowning around, portraying
Bolt playing members of the
same family.
The multi-talented Jamai-
can, who is also a keen music
fan, says further work of this
ilk would appeal to him when
he hangs up his running shoes.
“I get quite a few offers from
TV and acting,” he said. “It may
be something I would consider
in the future.”
For now, however, Bolt’s
comic routines — including his
signature lightning bolt cel-
ebration ­­— will be confined to
the track.
Explaining the origin of the
iconic, arm-pointing-upwards
action, which has established
him as the greatest showman
in sport, Bolt said: “It started
in 2008 at the Olympic Games
in Beijing. It is an adaption
from a dance in Jamaica. Peo-
ple seemed to like it, so now
it is my trademark pose and is
called ‘To di world’.”
His pre-race posturing sug-
gests Bolt is calmness and con-
fidence personified.
Yet he admits that even he
is not immune to nerves and
self-doubt. “It all depends on
the training,” he said. “If I am
in good shape and injury free,
then I am confident of winning.
I usually play around at the
start to entertain the fans and
make them smile.”
Such a persona masks the
fact that Bolt remains supreme-
ly dedicated to his sport, a fact
gruesomely depicted by a video
he posted on YouTube ear-
lier this year showing himself
throwing up after a gruelling
training session.
“I want to let people see that
success takes a lot of hard work
behind the scenes,” he ex-
plained.
Of course, Bolt’s success
owes mostly to his innate natu-
ral talent — but even he is not
good at everything. “I am not a
good swimmer,” he said.
His untrammelled track suc-
cess over the past six years was
also besmirched by memorable
failure at the 2011 World Cham-
pionships, when he was dis-
qualified from the 100m final
due to a false start.
“I always say that you can’t
change the past, so no point to
dwell on it,” said Bolt, when
asked if he regretted being de-
nied the chance to defend his
2009 crown. He is similarly
unfazed by those who criticised
him for celebrating ahead of
the finishing line in the 2008
Olympic Games 100m final,
when he could have achieved
an even more impressive time
than his then world record of
9.69 secs.
“Do I regret doing that? Not
at all,” he said. “It was a natural
reaction. I became the first Ja-
maican man to win the Olym-
pic Games 100m and that was
my goal. I ran faster in other
races. In fact, I regret more not
running through the line in the
2012 Olympic Games, as that
could have been a world re-
cord.”
An incident off the track
was also a seminal moment for
Bolt — a 2009 car crash, when
he was fortunate to emerge
with only scratches when his
car overturned in a ditch in his
native Jamaica. He explained:
“When you have an experience
like that, it makes you stop and
think. I was born with all this
talent and it is my duty to en-
sure I get a chance to show the
world what I can do. People
should be thankful for what
they have because at any mo-
ment it can all be taken away.”
Positive memories far out-
weigh those of a negative na-
ture for Bolt, but it is a some-
what of a surprise to learn that
his favourite sporting recollec-
tion is not one of his world-re-
cord runs.
“I think that would be my
first big win, which was the
World Junior 200m title in
Kingston in 2002,” he said. I
was only 15 years old compet-
ing against under 20s, but it
was very special because it was
in front of my own people.”
It’s little wonder that Bolt
romped to victory in a time of
20.61, given that he was already
6ft 5ins and had the massive
stride length to comfortably
outpace his shorter rivals.
As his running career gath-
ered pace, he says watching
videos of legendary Jamaican
athletes Don Quarrie, the 1976
Olympic 200m champion, and
four-time Games medallist in
the 1940s and 1950s, Herb Mc-
Kenley, greatly inspired him.
“When I was a teenager, it
was Michael Johnson on top in
the 200m and 400m [who in-
spired me],” he added.
So as Bolt bids to bring more
pride and joy to Jamaica with
relay success at the Common-
wealth Games, how does he as-
sess his own legacy?
Does he, like luminaries such
as Muhammad Ali and Pele, de-
serve the title sporting legend,
and who does he think cur-
rently merits this status?
Bolt said: “Some people call
me a legend based on what I
have achieved, but I will let
others decide on this. For me,
[Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Li-
onel] Messi are legends on the
football pitch. Sir Alex Fergu-
son was a legendary football
manager, and there are so many
in all sports that it is difficult to
name names.
“Is there a new Usain Bolt?
There is always a lot of talent
coming through, particularly in
the sprints in Jamaica. I think
it is unfair to label anyone the
next Usain Bolt. Let them be
themselves.”
Bolt is right. While he lives
by the mantra ‘anything is
possible’, few can conceive of
matching this peerless athlete’s
prowess, let alone have any
thoughts of becoming his suc-
cessor.
Unless, of course, they force
him to don his swimming
trunks and challenge him to a
duel in the pool.
sprint superstar Bolt eyes more glory
and records — and a football career
Dubai
T
he legendary former
British runner Roger
Bannister, who ran the
first sub-four-minute
mile in 1954, once said:
“No one can say: ‘You must not
run faster than this, or jump
higher than that.’ The human
spirit is indomitable.”
It’s a statement that perfectly
encapsulates the never-ending
drive for improvement shared
by all elite athletes, who strain
every sinew to fulfil the Olym-
pic motto of ‘Citius, Altius, For-
tius’ — meaning ‘Faster, Higher,
Stronger’.
There’s arguably no greater
embodiment of this aspira-
tion than Usain Bolt, the fastest
man on the planet, whose irre-
sistible surges into the history
books have elicited eulogies
galore and even led to scientific
studies analysing his preternat-
ural pace.
For, despite having won six
Olympic gold medals, eight
world titles and being the
world-record holder in the
men’s 100 metres and 200 me-
tres, the 27-year-old Jamaican’s
voracious appetite for success is
not yet sated and he insists his
best is yet to come.
As Bolt once said, in a pithier
summation of Bannister’s re-
mark: “I don’t think limits.”
In an exclusive interview
with Gulf News, Bolt expound-
ed on his relentless quest for
glory underpinned by his man-
tra ‘Anything is possible’, and
explained why he is so confi-
dent he can add more lustre to
his legacy of greatness.
Prior to taking part in his
first Commonwealth Games,
which begin on Wednesday in
Glasgow, Scotland, Bolt said:
“Why do I think I can lower
my 100-metre and 200-metre
world records? My coach, Glen
Mills, is the world’s greatest
sprint coach. He knows sprint-
ing better than anyone. He
thinks it is possible for me to
break my world records and, if
he says so, I believe him.
“The key is to get a good
training period with no injuries
and get in good shape.”
Yet no less an expert than
American athletics great Michael
Johnson, like Bolt a multiple
Olympic and world champion,
doubts whether the Jamaican
superstar can improve on stag-
gering global bests of 9.58 sec-
onds for the 100m and 19.19 secs
for the 200m.
Johnson, the 400m world-re-
cord holder, whose 200m global
best Bolt first surpassed in 2008,
said earlier this year: “If I had to
guess and go out there and say,
‘Have we seen the best of him?’.
I would say: ‘Probably.’ But you
never know with him.
“As a sprinter gets older, you
are not going to get faster.”
The 6ft 5ins Bolt, as languid
off the track as he is powerful
and dynamic on it, takes such
comments in his long and lop-
ing stride, however.
“My main aim is to defend
my World Championship and
Olympic titles. If I can run fast-
er and break some more world
records, then it will also make
me happy.”
But firstly, Bolt is relishing
By Euan Reedie
Deputy Sports Editor
Dubai
U
sain Bolt has urged sporting authorities to ‘do as much
as they can to eliminate doping from sport’, yet will
not be drawn on whether life bans should be meted
out to drug cheats.
Bolt is also hopeful that athletics officials in his native
country of Jamaica have addressed what US Anti-Doping
Agency boss Travis Tygart believes is an inadequate testing
system.
Six Jamaican athletes tested positive for banned sub-
stances in 2013, leading to the Jamaican Anti-Doping Com-
mission’s (Jadco) board resigning in November.
They included former 100-metre world-record holder
Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, an Olympic relay gold
medallist at the 2004 Athens Games, both of whom had
their doping bans reduced from 18 months to six months
earlier this week and are free to compete.
Bolt predicts there will not a repeat of the drug-testing
crisis in his homeland, however, saying: “I think Jadco has
some issues that they have now addressed, so hopefully
things will be better in the future.”
The sprint superstar, who has previously supported hair
follicle testing in a bid to stamp out the doping malaise, add-
ed: “I think it is important that the authorities do as much
as they can to eliminate doping from sport. Athletics is one
of the sports that is at the top level of testing, and you see
a lot of athletes getting caught and punished. I think the
same standards should be applied throughout all sports.”
‘Do as much as you
can to eliminate doping’
anti-cheating
By Euan Reedie
Deputy Sports Editor
Can you
tell us
something
we might
not know
about
Usain Bolt?
I get asked
that question
a lot.
1 2 3
What’s your
favourite
song?
I don’t have
one. I love a lot
of music —
particularly
reggae and
dancehall.
What do you
most like
to eat?
Anything
Jamaican
because of the
flavour. I love
jerk chicken
and pork, rice
and peas,
yams, ackee
and saltfish.
What’s your
favourite
holiday
destination?
Australia, as
people know
how to have
fun there.
What
book have
you most
enjoyed
reading?
I am not a
big book
reader.
Most
inspirational
message or
motto?
Anything is
possible.4 5 6
EXCLUSIVE
Guiding light
■■ His coach, Glen Mills, is
the ‘best in the world’,
according to Bolt. The two
have worked together since
the beginning of Bolt’s
athletics career and their
successful relationship has
shown no signs of letting
up as the star approaches
retirement, admitting he
will hang up his running
shoes in 2016 or 2017.
Rex Features
Memorable moments
■■ Right: Bolt was disqualified
from the men’s
100m final in the 2011
World Championships
following a false start.
■■ Centre: Aged only 15,
he won the 200m
at the World Junior
Championships in 2002.
■■ Below: The Jamaican star
and his gold medal after
his 100m win at the 2009
World Championships.
Rex Features
Record breaker
■■ Bolt proudly shows off
his 100m world record of
9.58 seconds following his
success at the 2009 World
Championships in Berlin.
Rex Features
Quick-fire questions
Rex Features
Slow coach
■■ The world’s fastest man took part in an 80-metre exhibition
race against a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last year. It was
no surprise that Bolt outran the bus.
special feature special feature
Illustration by Ramachandra Babu