Usain Bolt speaks about his 'height disadvantage', the untied shoelace, and Manchester United
Olympic legend Usain Bolt has insisted that his height is a disadvantage at the start of a race but the same turns into a great edge once he gets going. The fastest man on the planet also stressed how important it was for him to finish his career at the top by completing the 'triple triple' in Rio.
When Usain Bolt began his athletics career, he was a middle distance runner and with his height was never expected to turn his eye towards the shorter sprints. A height of just less than six feet was considered a necessity and the norm for the 100m athlete – until Bolt burst
Despite having suffered an injury to his hamstring, Bolt returned just in time for the Rio Olympics to win the
Speaking about how much it meant to him, the Jamaican legend said, “Retiring on top is very important to me, to maintain the legacy I have worked very hard to build,” in an exclusive to TNN.
Discussing how his height has impacted his running and relating to the time when rival Tyson Gay remarked how Bolt's “knees were going past” his face during the race, Bolt said, “My height is a disadvantage at the start of the race but a great advantage as I get into my running.”
Despite the records and the joy of watching of him breeze past opponents in the straight, Bolt believes that he has given something more to his fans.
“Just being blessed to share my personality with the world. I have had many setbacks but thanks to the value system instilled in me by my parents, I am being able to work hard to overcome (those setbacks),” he said.
Bolt also replied to a query on the famous untied shoelace incident at the Beijing Olympics and said, That just happened. It wasn't deliberate. I didn't notice until people told me.”
The legend thanked his family for having stood beside him through the toughest times of his life. “I was blessed to be very talented as a youth and I didn't take it too seriously then. But after realising this could become a career path with the help of my family and team, I became more conscious,” he said.
The conversation inevitably ended with Bolt being asked about the recent Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) controversy that has shown athletes including Simone Biles, Venus Williams taking drugs under specific conditions allowed by the World
He also praised the world bodies for the work they have done to stem the menace of doping that has plagued the athletics world. “I think IAAF and WADA are doing a great job to clean the sport up, so I encourage our fans to keep
Bolt has also spoken about his favorite football club Manchester United. When asked if he still holds the dream of playing for the English club post-retirement, he said, "Of course, if I can play, that would be
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