Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist sprinter and the greatest ever in the sport, believes he could have bagged the 100 metres title at the Tokyo Olympic Games that took place earlier this year.
I was like, I wish I was there: Usain Bolt
The world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay, Bolt has been the 100m champion at the Olympics three times, and speaking to AFP on Sunday, the 36-year-old Jamaican iterated that he could have bagged his fourth 100m gold in Tokyo.
“I really missed it. I was like, I wish I was there,” said Bolt, “Because for me, I live for those moments. So it was hard to watch.”
Bolt’s frustration rose from seeing his fellow countrymen flop on the track, while Italian sprinter Lamont Jacobs clinched the gold with 9.80 seconds on the clock, which Bolt believes he could have surpassed.
“My coach said something to me at the end of my career. He said, ‘People are not getting faster. I was getting slower.’ I never looked at it that way,” Bolt went on, “And it’s the facts because a lot of guys don’t really get faster. Because I have pushed the barrier so far and then I started going backwards time-wise, so for me, 9.80 was possible to get done.”
“For the Olympics, it was gonna be different,” the retired sprinter commented on a potential comeback move, “I always show up ready because I think this is the highest level, but I’ve already done everything in the sport, so it was all about motivation.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen anybody in this generation right now, which I personally feel will break the records. So I think I have a couple more years before somebody will actually break my world records,” he added.
One of the most well known athletes in the world, Bolt mentioned that he wanted to help promote the sport and even approached World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, but steered away from presidency.
“No, I don’t want that job. That’s a lot of stress and a lot of work,” he added.
Aside from bagging the 100m gold, Bolt mentions another thing he would have done at the Tokyo Olympics- bending the knee to protest against racism, “I understand what it’s about. Racism, we’ve been through it, so I understand the necessary aspect of it and what is needed.”
