Usain Bolt thinks he could have won 100m gold at Tokyo Olympics
The eight-time Olympic gold medallist sprinter from Jamaica thinks it will be a ‘couple more years’ until any men’s sprinting world records are broken.
Athletics
Usain Bolt won eight Olympic titles for Jamaica during his incredible career in athletics. The 35-year-old was absent from his first summer Olympic Games since Athens 2004.
“I really missed it. I was like, I wish I was there," he said in an interview with AFP. "Because for me, I live for those moments. So it was hard to watch."
The 100m title was won by Lamont Marcell Jacobs with a time of 9.80s. The Italian sprinter with his team-mates also took the title in the 4x100m. Bolt thinks that he could have been fighting for a podium place, if he was at the Olympics
"My coach said something to me at the end of my career. He said, 'People are not getting faster. I was getting slower.' I never looked at it that way," said Bolt.
"And it's the facts because a lot of guys don't really get faster. Because I have pushed the barrier so far and then I started going backwards time-wise, so for me 9.80 was possible to get done."
Usain Bolt: World records are safe for the moment
Bolt took a step away from athletics after the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London. He finished third in the 100m – his only medal at that competition. Bolt remains satisfied with his career on the track.
"I always show up ready because I think this is the highest level, but I've already done everything in the sport so it was all about motivation," he added.
Usain Bolt set the world record for the 100m and 200m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. For the moment, he believes these marks are safe.
"I don't think I've seen anybody in this generation right now which I personally feel will break the records," he said. "So, I think I have a couple more years before somebody will actually break my world records."
Usain Bolt: 'Lightning Bolt' is just for the fans
And if you do see Bolt, ask him for a picture, but maybe don’t ask him to do his famous signature 'To Di World' pose.
"Sometimes it gets a little bit, I wouldn't say annoying. But I understand that I've done it to myself," he said.
"People really enjoy it and it's for the fans, you know. I mean, it's a picture that they will treasure forever. So for me, I'm not always happy doing it, but I do it anyways because it's for them and it makes them happy.".