Leading up to the Paris Olympics, the world’s greatest sprinter Usain Bolt has been giving his two cents on track and field nowadays and the difference in his time of competing, he also talked about his favourite events. According to Bolt, he started running the 100m because he did not want to run 400m.
It’s been over 15 years since Bolt broke the 100m world record, he did so on August 16th, 2008 at the Beijing Olympics clocking a time of 9.69 seconds, he went on to lower the record to 9.58. On the other hand, Bolt set his 200m word record in 2009 at the World Championships clocking a time of 19.19 seconds.
However, in an interview released on Thursday, July 18, Bold disclosed that his coach initially wanted him to run the 400m along with the 200m. According to Bolt, he had to make a deal with his coach Glen Mills at the Racers Track Club to run the 100m instead.
“The only reason i did the 100m is because i didn’t want to run the 400m,” stated Bolt, before detailing that his coach wanted him to compete in future 400m races to gain strength after he lost a 200m race to Tyson Gay in 2007.
Bolt said he made a deal with his coach because he did not want to go through the training for 400m. He recalled telling his coach to give him one 100m at the end of the season, if he clocked a bad time he would do the 400m, however, if he clocked an impressive time he would do the 100m.
He went on to clock 10.3s in 100m at a race in Greece which was good, hence he got to pursue the 100m from there on.
Bolt was asked, what’s the record that makes him most proud, “It’s the 200m, for me the 200m is my baby,” he next expressed that the 100m is loved by people worldwide because it comes with the ‘fastest man in the world’ label, never the less he loves the 200m the most.
Usain Bolt holds world records in the 100-meters, 200-meter, and 4×100-meter relays.
He is the only sprinter to win the 100-meter and 200-meter titles at three consecutive Olympic Games in 2008, 2012, and 2016, something that Elaine Thompson-Herah was opening to pull off at this year’s Olympics but unfortunately won’t be able to do so because of injury.
Watch the interview below:
RELATED
- Usain Bolt Undergoes “Successful” Surgery
- Usain Bolt Suffers Ruptured Achilles In Sunday’s Soccer Aid Football Match
- Kasi Bennett Shares Loving Father’s Day Message to Bolt “You are a one in a million father” – Watch Video
