The 37-year-old dominates the 100, 200, and 4×100 meters. In 2016, he created Olympic history by becoming the first sprinter to win the 100 and 200 meters in three consecutive competitions.
After becoming the world’s fastest man, Jamaica gave up professional track and field competition in 2017.
Speaking on his career in Athletics and the inspiration behind his success, as reported by the Mirror, Bolt said, “My dad was really strict, mum I could get away with a lot.
“When I was younger they were my driving force. I was more focused on doing it for my country and my parents. I never thought about myself once. It was, ‘I can’t let them down’.
“Growing up I didn’t have much and that helped drive me to free myself. I wanted to take care of my parents, so they could stop working and they didn’t have to worry. At the end of my career, it was, ‘Yes I’ve done it, I can sit back, I can provide for my family’.”
“My parents have always helped people, helped the community, even when they didn’t have much. So I’ve tried to help people as much as possible too. My parents say stop trying to give away all your money.”
He claims it has also assisted him in embracing his spiritual side. Indeed, Usain has experienced some form of divine intervention on multiple occasions.
Bolt continued, “After my first Olympics, I had a really bad car accident in 2009. And when I came out of that car wreck with no issues whatsoever I couldn’t believe it. It changed my perspective on life.
“It changed me and I buckled down a lot more. It helped me open my eyes – God gave me a talent. I realised I was put on this Earth to run and I needed to bring joy to people and inspire the world. From then on I was more careful and I sacrificed more. I wanted to use my talent in the right way.”
In 2012, was hit by a setback, he said, “That season I’d lost to Yohan Blake at the World Championship trials,” Usain says.
“My mum randomly called me and said, ‘Are you OK?’ She said God told her to call me. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘You’ll be fine’.
“If I understood track and field at a younger age, and what it takes, it’s scary to say but I’d have been way better.
“The world has not seen the best of Usain Bolt,” he says. But he chose balance, he says, at the detriment of being even better.
“At times I needed to blow off steam and go out and have fun. Some athletes can just train, train, train. But after training so much it would feel like I was losing my mind.
“So me and my coach had an understanding. I would give him two solid weeks or something, and he would give me some time for myself. If I was one of those athletes who could just carry on it would have been different, even better.”
Ever the family man, and now a father himself, these days Usain can mostly be found at home in Kingston, Jamaica, running after the three children he shares with partner Kasi Bennett.
