What makes usain bolt excellent

He still holds world records in the m The muscle went with just 50m to go and he had to be helped over the finishing line by his three teammates. Neither club offered him a professional contract, which put paid to his hopes of one day playing for Manchester United, a childhood dream. He once considered a move to America, to join the National Football League. Some pundits likened his decisions to similar ones made by Michael Jordan, who gave up basketball at his peak to play baseball, a sport he loved and became passable but not great at.

Why is a sporting legend, whose name is literally written into the history books, trying to be a record producer? Why dilute a legacy? The young Bolt actually had another ambition while growing up: to be a spy. Stats continue to suggest that Bolt's searing pace is slowing a little, with his medal-winning times pointing to possible decline. Bolt clocked 9. At the Rio Olympics, he ran 9. In the past nine years, dating back to his first gold medal at Beijing , Bolt has won every race that he has entered at an Olympics or World Championships - except for the World Championship final, in which he was disqualified for a false start, allowing fellow Jamaican Blake to take top prize.

Bolt himself recognises that he cannot maintain this remarkable record for much longer, and will retire after the World Championships in London. His final season has been marked by tragedy, with the Jamaican having to come to terms with the death of his friend, former Britain high jumper Germaine Mason, who died in a motor crash in April.

But on the eve of his final two races - the m and the 4xm relay - Bolt has said that he would be as focused on the finish line as always. Find out more about Hewlett Packard Enterprise data solutions.

Usain Bolt: What makes him the fastest man in the world? He ran m in 9. Distribution of speed from world record race. Bolt struggled with injuries in the early stages of his career.

Justin Gatlin defeated Bolt in Bolt ran m in 9. The year-old has announced he will retire after the World Championships in London. What's his form like? Bolt is currently ranked joint seventh with arch rival Justin Gatlin on the year's top timesheet which is headed by world leader and American NCAA champion Christian Coleman Coleman ran 9.

By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy. Skip to navigation Skip to content. Discover Membership. Editions Quartz. More from Quartz About Quartz. Follow Quartz. These are some of our most ambitious editorial projects.

From our Obsession. Gatlin has said he did not knowingly take testosterone. Bolt exhales uneasily. So I feel like you should be banned for life. Suspicion, inevitably, has circled around Bolt ever since he burst on to the track and smashed the world m record. With speeds such as his, insinuations of doping were bound to follow.

When you work so hard for what you have done, and it finally comes, it should feel good. Vast crowds brought downtown Kingston to a standstill every time he raced in Rio, as thousands filled the streets to roar at giant open-air screens, and angry letters of complaint were written to newspapers after his triumphant return home went uncelebrated by a state reception at Kingston airport. No one troubles you. You get a lot of love, a lot of respect. Did he shop with an entourage or alone, I was curious to know.

No, he had four or five girls with him. He asked me to get them our strongest alcohol. Whenever Bolt gets a break in his training schedule, he is easy to find on the dancefloor or behind the decks of a Kingston nightclub called Fiction. His exuberant party reputation only makes Jamaicans love him even more.

Why anyone — the Daily Mail, usually — would disapprove baffles Bolt. They try to live a certain life, because the media forces you to conform to what they feel is the right way you should live. This is how most people go crazy and start doing drugs and stuff, because of the stress; they smoke weed or probably take cocaine or whatever it is. His post-Olympic nocturnal shenanigans are the one topic I have been forbidden to ask him about.

In the Caribbean, guys play around a lot. Wayne Rooney got married when he was 21, but I grew up in Jamaica. National attitudes towards homosexuality are another big cultural difference.

I work with a lot of gay people all over the world, especially with [his sponsor] Puma. I have no issue with anybody.