EXCLUSIVE
Usain Bolt’s coach ‘hated’ lifestyle decision which stopped him from being even faster
Usain Bolt had the ability to become a faster sprinter than he was – now there’s a thought.
The Jamaican will go down in history as one of the greatest track stars of all time after claiming a whopping eight Olympic gold medals.
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And if that wasn’t enough, he still holds the world record in the men’s 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, despite retiring from athletics in 2017.
Since his 100m world record feat in Berlin in 2009 no sprinter has come close to eclipsing his finishing time of 9.58 seconds.
It has seen scientists conduct studies into what it may take to shatter the record.
But anyone hoping to surpass Bolt’s record can count themselves lucky that the sprint star refused to devote his entire self to training.
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The sprint legend admits that during his prime years, he had the capability to run even faster – something that angered his coach who knew first hand of Bolt’s extraordinary potential.
"My coach said you haven't seen the best of Usain Bolt," the Olympian told talkSPORT.
"And I thought it was crazy when he said it to me. I think I'm different.
"I was never the type of person who could go 100 percent and train all year. I was never that person.
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"I needed breaks to have fun and go and relax, then come back to track and field.
"My coach hated it, but he understood it. I needed to take time off to go and be a human. But we understood each other.
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"He would say, these next two months are very important so you need to lock in, and I would say, cool - let's go."
Bolt knows just how difficult it will be for the future generations to beat his 100m record which has stood for 15 years.
The star’s speed and height coupled with astounding stride length will be tough to match on ability alone and may require a sprinter with similar genetics to dethrone him.
Speaking before the Paris Olympics, Bolt was asked whether he felt his record was under imminent threat, and he said. “Not now, I've not seen the talent yet to get there."
American track star Tyson Gay and Jamaican Yohan Blake came closest to the record with a time of 9.69 seconds in 2009 and again in 2012.
Marcel Jacobs took gold in the men's 100m at Tokyo 2020 with a time of 9.80 seconds, while Noah Lyles came through in 9.784 seconds to take 100m gold in Paris this summer.