Eight Olympic gold medals, eleven gold medals at World Championships, and three world records of (9.58 seconds in the 100, 19.19 in the 200 and 36.84 in the 4x100 relay) showcase Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's domination in the sport
Usain Bolt (Pic: File Pic)
Oblique Seville won Jamaica's first world 100m title in 10 years, as he outpaced Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles in Tokyo.
He might be the new world champion, but Usain Bolt still remains the only track athlete of this century whose fame has spread beyond sports. He was also present at the event in Tokyo. This also marked his first appearance at an Olympics or worlds since he exited the sport after the 2017 championships in London.
It has been eight years since his retirement, and yet there is no athlete who has come close to matching his times and presence.
Before Sunday night's races, while speaking on his record, Usain Bolt said, "That's what I worked for".
He also expressed happiness in knowing that he has always worked to break the benchmark and has set high standards in the sport.
"When I was competing, I was working to break the benchmark. Now that I've retired, it's a great feeling to know that I'm the benchmark if you want to be the best, you want to be a legend. I wanted to set high standards, and I did. I'm happy about that," said the 39-year-old former sprinter.
Eight Olympic gold medals, eleven gold medals at World Championships, and three world records of (9.58 seconds in the 100, 19.19 in the 200 and 36.84 in the 4x100 relay) showcase his domination in the sport.
No runner has come within .12 seconds of either of his individual marks since he retired.
When asked his views on why the record is still unbroken, despite the current shoe and track technology giving runners a bigger boost than what 15 years ago, when he used to compete in his prime, Bolt simply said, "We're more talented".
"Do you really want the answer? We're just more talented. You look at it. I'm just saying, you can't run faster (just) with brand-new spikes," said the Jamaica-born former sprinter.
Speed, though, is only part of Bolt's story. It was his ability to use the platform to entertain and bring people together, a skill that couldn't be overlooked in an era when the Olympics needed a recharge, that made Bolt one of track's most important characters.
(With AP Inputs)
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