Usain Bolt The Legend

Usain Bolt is a legend. The name is so familiar to the sports enthusiasts around the world. Despite the fact that he was beaten by Justin Gatlin in his last race, he is acknowledged as the greatest sprinter of all time. During his early days as a runner, he didn’t really believe in his abilities and was quite laid back with his approach towards the sports. However, over the years, the many coaches with whom he teamed up with, shaped him into a great runner. He has won nine gold medals in track and field events in Olympics; a feat which no other person has achieved before.
Here is some information about his life and career.
Usain was born to Jennifer and Wellesley Bolt on 21st August 1986 in Jamaica. He was one of the three children born to the couple. His parents managed to make ends meeting by managing a shop where mostly grocery was sold.
Bolt went to the ‘William Knibb Memorial High School’, where he started playing sports such as Cricket. While mentoring the kids who were interested in the sport, the coach felt that Usain would be a better athlete than a cricketer. He encouraged him to try running.
The young lad soon participated in the 200 metres racing event in school, which he finished in a matter of just 22.04 seconds.
The first major international sporting event which Bolt had participated in was the ‘IAAF World Youth Championship’, held in 2001 at the Hungarian city of Debrecen. Although he failed to emerge victorious in the 200m qualifier event, Bolt managed to finish the event in 21.73 seconds, which was his personal best at that time.
He made waves in the world of sports by his extraordinary performance in the ‘2003 CARIFTA Games’ event.
2004 was one of the eventful years of Usain’s career, when he participated in three events, namely the ‘2004 CARIFTA Games’, ‘2004 World Junior Championships’ and the famous ‘2004 Athens Olympics’. Although he was praised for his remarkable performance in the CARIFTA games event, he failed to do well in the 200m Olympic qualifier event, due to an injury he had suffered.
Though many felt that Usain lacked sufficient experience to participate in the ‘Beijing Summer Olympics’, which was to be held in 2008, he silenced his critics by qualifying for the 100m final event. Bolt achieved path-breaking success when he won the 100m final, by completing the race in a mere 9.69 seconds and eventually became a world-renowned icon. He also won the 200m final with a new Olympic record of 19.30 seconds. He won his third gold medal at 2008 Olympics in 4x100m relay.
At the 2009 Berlin World Championships, he created world records in both the 100m and 200m events. He won the 100m race with a timing of 9.58 seconds and 200m race with a timing of 19.19 seconds.
He participated in the ‘2012 Summer Olympics’ and created history to become the first man to successfully defend both the 100 m and 200 m Olympic sprint titles. He also won the 4x100m relay race and achieved the ‘Double Triple’, raising his overall Olympics medal tally to 6 gold medals. He won the 100m race in 9.63 seconds and 200m race in 19.32 seconds.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he was coming back from a hamstring injury and thus didn’t participate in 100m and 200m race. He participated in the 4x100m relay and helped his team win a gold.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he once again won the gold medals in all the three events and took his overall Olympics medal tally to 9 gold medals. He won 100m in 9.81 seconds, 200m in 19.78 seconds and 4x100m relay in 37.27 seconds.
He is the fastest runner in history. Bolt has set the past three world records at 100m, and it is nine years since he first broke it.
Bolt has won virtually every Olympic and World Championship race he has entered from 2008 onwards. Rio 2016 saw him complete an unprecedented “triple triple” of consecutive Olympic gold medals in 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
From 2008 onwards, he has only ever been beaten once in the 200m – by compatriot Blake at the Jamaican National Championships in 2012. Gatlin, Christian Coleman, Powell and Gay are the other athletes to have beaten Bolt in the 100m.
Bolt revealed his humanitarian side to the world when he contributed US$50,000 to the victims of the 2008 Siachen earthquake.
He is also a self-confessed football freak, who supports the famous club ‘Manchester United’ and is an ardent supporter of the footballer Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

In October 2008, he was made a Commander of the Order of Distinction. The award was “for outstanding performance in the field of athletics at the international level”. In the Jamaican honors system, this is considered the equivalent of a knighthood in the British honors system, and entitles him to be formally styled “The Honorable”.

Magazine Desk