In August last year, Usain Bolt, described as the greatest sprinter in the world, announced his retirement from athletics, following the World Championships in London. Sceptics wondered if he would stick to his plans or do what other athletes before him had done – get back to the lure of the game. Sports analysts, however, believed him, as he never loved training and wasn’t keen about doing daylong photo shoots, which was the natural outcome of his celebrity athlete status. Veteran observers attributed his retirement to his slowing pace, as he finished third in his last major 100m final and hadn’t made any new records in a long while.
But Bolt is not one to stand on the sidelines and watch others play. The eight-time Olympic gold medallist had, even earlier, expressed his desire to explore other areas of his sporting side and, recently, debuted for Australian A-Leagues side Central Coast Mariners. A month ago, he embarked on a training programme with the Mariners, who play their season opener on October 21. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, he’d said, “This is my first chance to get the chance to train and get to the level to play as a professional footballer. I’m here to learn and get better…”
Not one to remain still for long, Bolt also found an alternative dimension to prove his prowess this September. He took part in a zero gravity race as part of a product promotion and well proved that he is just as quick even on space. It was a test of his sprint skills in near-weightless conditions on a special flight. The Olympic champion took a zero-gravity flight over Reims, France, and won the race easily.
Usain Bolt is one of the world’s most celebrated sportsman with a record-breaking tally of nine gold medals at three consecutive Olympics – 2008, 2012, and 2016. Born on 21 August 1986, in Sherwood Content, a small town in Trelawny, Jamaica, he was mostly interested in sports, spending time playing football, cricket and basketball. He even contemplated a career as a cricketer but, his natural talent for sprinting pushed him to take up athletics more seriously. It wasn’t surprising when his talent exploded the international athletics arena. His effortless dominance of the 100m and 200m final at the Beijing Olympics made everyone stand up and take notice of this very talented sportsman. It was, perhaps, his charismatic personality and laidback approach that won him more fans.
Bolt has shown tremendous talent ever since he first started running. His timings are consistent, and he himself states: “I was the youngest person to win the world juniors at 15… I have broken every record there is to break, in every event I have ever done. For me, I have proven myself since I was 15. I have shown everything throughout the years since I was always going to be great.”