Usain Bolt praises Erriyon Knighton: 'He will be a great one'
Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt remains confident that his world records are safe and has named Erriyon Knighton a potential track superstar.
Athletics
Usain Bolt believes his 100m and 200m world records will remain untouched for a considerable time despite advances in spike technology and a talented crop of sprinters taking aim at his global marks.
Speaking to French paper L'Equipe, Bolt ruled out any chances of a comeback but said he missed the 'excitement of the crowd'.
Six years since his retirement – the Jamaican no longer mesmerises global audiences with his exploits on the track – with running reserved for chasing after his three-year-old daughter.
Bolt said last year's World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon was the ideal setting for an assault on his records, with the new Hayward Field track considered one of the fastest in the world.
"A lot has changed in athletics over the past few years. I still think my records will hold for a while," Bolt told L'Equipe.
"Last year would have been ideal for bringing them down. The athletes, some very talented, all had new generation super spikes, and we know that the Eugene track is the fastest of all time."
Bolt hung up his spikes as the most decorated sprinter of all time, having won the 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Olympic Games – Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016. The 36-year-old legend still holds the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19s) world records he set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Usain Bolt on Erriyon Knighton
Many believe the 200m time is the weakest of his records and that Bolt could have made a bigger effort to break the 19-second barrier.
"In Beijing (2008), I might have been able to run in 9.52, pushing to the finish line. It's better than 9.58, but there is no major difference, it doesn't really change much," Bolt said.
"Whereas under 19, that's a barrier. My coach often said that we never saw my real potential, given how I was taking things in. But I sincerely think that if I had taken them differently, I would have failed."
While Bolt believes his records are safe for now, he has identified American phenom Erriyon Knighton as a potential track superstar. In 2022, an 18-year-old Knighton became the fourth-fastest 200m runner ever when he clocked a world under-20 record of 19.49s.
"I think that Erriyon Knighton, if he has the right coach, will be terrific over 200m. He will be a great one," Bolt said of the rising star.
Knighton, who became the youngest person to win a 200m medal at a World Championships when he won bronze in Oregon, has set his sights on Bolt's 200m world record.
"Anybody's going to want to beat the record of the all-time great, but at the same time, I still have to knock each down one by one," Knighton told Olympics.com. "It's not going to be an easy task, it's going to be hard. I definitely think I can do it, but it's just I have got to work hard and to really have a lot of self-confidence."
Usain Bolt: Looking forward to Paris 2024 - as a fan
Although Bolt no longer plays an active role in athletics, he stays in touch with a handful of track athletes.
"I continue to chat with Wallace (Spearmon), with Asafa (Powell), and with Wayde van Niekerk," Bolt said.
And while a comeback may be off the table, Bolt said he hoped to experience his first experience as a fan at next year's Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
"I want to come to Paris for the Olympics, with all my family. The children will be old enough to accompany us," he said.
"I just want to see it as a spectator from the stands. I haven't been able to since my retirement, with the Covid. I want to feel the excitement among the audience, the vibes from the other side of the fence, to be a fan."