Usain Bolt had the ability to be a faster sprinter than he was – now you can think about it.
The Jamaican athlete won eight Olympic gold medals and will go down in history as one of the greatest track stars of all time.
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If that wasn’t enough, despite retiring from track and field in 2017, he still holds the world records for the men’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Since setting the 100m world record in Berlin in 2009, no sprinter has been able to beat his finishing time of 9.58 seconds.
We’ve seen scientists conduct research on what it takes to break records.
But anyone hoping to beat Bolt’s record could count themselves lucky that the sprinting star refused to give his all to training.
The sprinting legend admits he was capable of going faster in his prime, which infuriated his coach, who knew first-hand of Bolt’s extraordinary potential.
“My coach said you haven’t seen the best of Usain Bolt yet,” the Olympian told talkSPORT.
“And when he said that to me, I thought it was crazy. I think no.
“I was never the type of person who could train all year round at 100 percent performance. I was never that person.
“I needed a break to enjoy myself, relax and get back on track.
“Coach didn’t like it, but he understood it. He needed time off to be human. But we understood each other.
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“He’ll say we need to focus because the next two months are very important. And I’ll say, OK, let’s go.”
Bolt knows how difficult it will be for future generations to beat his 100m record, which has stood for 15 years.
The star’s combination of speed, height, and incredible stride length will make him difficult to match on ability alone, and it may take a sprinter with similar genes to unseat him.
Speaking before the Paris Olympics, Bolt was asked if he felt his record was under immediate threat. “It’s not yet, I haven’t seen the talent to get there yet.”
American track and field star Tyson Gay and Jamaican Yohan Blake came closest to the record in 2009 and 2012 with times of 9.69 seconds.
Marcel Jacobs won gold in the men’s 100 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 9.80 seconds, and Noah Lyles won gold in the 100 meters in 9.784 seconds in Paris this summer.
