Each time he hits the track nowadays it’s a tryst with destiny for Usain Bolt. Long considered potentially the greatest ever track and field athlete, the Jamaican is getting into history books with each medal.
With his sprint triple in the Moscow world championships, Bolt (with eight golds in Moscow, Berlin and Daegu and two silvers in Osaka in 2007) has edged past Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson in the silver count (the three legends have eight golds each, but Lewis has only one silver and Johnson none).
A true star of athletics at a time when widespread drug use has blighted the sport, with many legends falling, wonderman Bolt promises to be the cleanest sprinter ever in history. While his running abilities suggest here’s a natural, there’s not even a hint of steroids in his body, his physique a dead giveaway: in no way does it resemble the muscle-packed arms and torsos of performance-enhancing drug users.
It’s a tribute to his unique talent that Bolt overcame an injury after dropping a starting block on his foot, while his tardy start and stretched 100m win made way for the gliding run in 200m. After starting as a teen debutant in Oslo, Bolt is all of 26 now and prone to speaking of age — “Make sure you enjoy your run because you’re going to get old like me one day,” he told first-timer Adam Gemili. Beijing 2015 and Rio 2016 will give Bolt ample opportunities to leave his fellow legends behind.