Usain Bolt. A kid who was addicted to cricket,  had little to no discipline, and was told to do track. That same kid is breaking world records, reaching speeds no human reached before, and proving that anything is possible with passion, hard work and dedication.

Like he's not even trying.

Did you know he jogged the last part of the 100m in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and still won?

Anyways, how did he rise to the top of the sprinting world from such humble backgrounds?

Early Life

Usain Bolt was born on August 21, 1986, Sherwood county, Jamaica. He was known to be a very sport-obsessed person from a young age and was fascinated by cricket and football, often playing on the streets with his brother and later remarked "When I was young, I didn't really think about anything other than sports."

Bolt attended Waldensia Primary school where he accidentally showcased his speed towards the coaches. He initially viewed running as a way to improve his agility in cricket and football. However at the age of 12, he quickly became the school’s fastest runner in the 100 Metres. 

Cool right? This was just the beginning of his path towards success…

In 1998, he enrolled into William Knib High School and this is where his life's trajectory quickly pivoted.

He initially enrolled with a passion for cricket (especially as a fast bowler), but his speed quickly caught the attention of his cricket coach who then urged him to take on track and field. His coach knew his explosive power was better suited for track rather than cricket, alongside his natural prowess. 

Once his coach directed him into the world of track, the school brought in retired Olympian and sprinting coach Pablo McNeil.

Bolt ran his first 100m in front of McNeil and… needless to say He.Was.Amazed.

Despite his impressive talent , McNeil initially struggled with young Bolt's personality, as he was known to be a prankster. Hiding in local arcades or hanging out with his friends were among the   common tactics he used  to skip training (and he did this alot).

Even with his lack of discipline, McNeil was still fascinated with his times and started calling him “The Bolt of Lighting”

Initial losses

His lack of discipline certainly did come back to haunt him. His first major high school championship took place in 2001, and Bolt… came second, with a time of 22.04.

Second, it's not that bad…right?

Well yeah, not that bad.

However, In Bolt's first international appearance in Hungary for the 200m World Youth Championship,  he set a new personal record of 21.73 Seconds… but still failed to even qualify for the finals.

It gets even worse.

Bolt's lack of discipline eventually led to his first Olympic defeat in Athens, 2004. Further hindered by a hamstring injury, he failed to advance past the first 200m heat.

Bolt was disappointed to say the least. Realizing that his current behavior wasn’t gonna cut it, he locked in.

In late 2004, Bolt approached Glen Mills, the then head coach of the Jamaican National team.

Mills quickly identified Bolt's weak point that resulted in the majority of his injuries. His sprinting style was “behind the centre of balance”, which put excessive strain on his hamstrings. Mills then spent the next 2 years working on Bolt’s posture and form in order to break Bolt's “bad habits”

Less than a few months later…

World Championships, 2005, Helsinki, Finland. Bolt became the youngest ever to reach the 200m world finals at age 18. Sadly, he pulled a hamstring during the race and finished last with a time of 26.27.

Later that same year, Bolt faced a car accident which put a halt to his training for a while. This car accident was followed by a hamstring injury in 2006, which forced his withdrawal from the commonwealth games.

Ok, Bolt’s hamstrings are cooked, he lost his races, and even faced a horrible car accident.

Why would he ever continue?

The wake-up call

In 2007, Bolt discovered his wake up call. 

Mills and Bolt worked tirelessly for the past year, after Bolt's initial losses and it was time to put his hard work  to the test.

At the 2007 Osaka World Championships, Bolt was ready. As he lined up for the 200m finals with a stadium full of people and a massive television audience, the gun went off…

Bolt stormed down the line and finished with a time of 19.91 seconds, falling 0.15 seconds behind Tyson Gay, who secured gold and Bolt walked away with silver.

This single silver medal hurt more than his 2004 Olympic failure, as he felt that he had worked so much harder than before, just to be beaten.

This singular moment was a message to lock in (for real this time), and soon after he began training even harder. 

The Comeback

Under coach Glen Mills, Bolt began training rigorously in the gym in order to fill his 6’5 frame with explosive power, muscle and higher driving force (driving = acceleration, in sprinting terms) 

Bolt focused on improving his balance during the turn in the 200m, while also increasing his stride frequency for faster legs. 

However, it was at this time that Bolt set a bet with his coach. He insisted on running in the 100m, as he was dominant in the 200m, and that's when coach Mills agreed on one condition:

Break the Jamaican 200m National record  

And he did. In June 2007.

Moving forward to 2008, Bolt was still training rigorously, preparing for the 2008 Reebok Grand Prix in New York.

Before he knew it, it was time…

He lined up for his 5th 100m competition, waiting for the gun to go off.

The starter pulls the trigger, and Bolt hurdles down the track, finishing with a time of:

9.72 seconds. setting the World Record

Following his 9.72 second breakthrough, Bolt had his eyes set on the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.

It was during this time that Bolt focused on his speed endurance (keeping top speed for a longer time), more explosive power, and a 6 day gym regime. He mainly focused on his core strength and acceleration to fully support his 6’5 frame.

Then came, 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It was also during this time that Bolt famously consumed 100 McDonald's chicken nuggets per day, during his 10 day stay, due to the concerns of the local cuisine affecting his stomach.

As the crowd settled into their seats roaring for their nations, Bolt was surprisingly calm, very calm, much calmer than his opponents.

As the sprinters settled into the blocks, they grew quiet, and so did the crowd, around 4.7 Billion people watched the Beijing Olympics. 

People were on the edge of their seats, the sprinter's legs were tensed like a spring. As the starter raised the gun, Bolt put his entire focus on winning, not how fast he went, not nervousness, not cockiness, just smooth confidence.

The gun went off, and Bolt bolted down the track, although the initial 40m wasn’t his strongest due to his 6 '5 frame, he dominated the last 60m.

It was even reported that he slowed down at the end to celebrate, and he crossed the line with:

Gold and a 9.69 100m World Record.

Bolt also ran the 200m on that same day.

He literally broke the world record again with a time of 19.30, breaking Micheal Johnson's 12 year 19.32 second record.

He and team Jamaica also ran the 4x100m relay. Did they break a world record?

YEAH, LIKE HOW?

The Jamaican team finished the 4x100m relay with a time of 37.10, breaking the previous 37.40 second world record held by the United States.

Bolt became an overnight sensation and he officially cemented his legacy as the “fastest man on the planet” after achieving his triple gold win.

Literally the very next year, at the Berlin World Championships, Bolt once again broke his own world records.

He crossed the 100m track with a time of 9.58, smashing his previous time.

Bolt once again stormed the 200m line with a time of 19.19 seconds.

Ok, how is this guy so good?

Unfortunately, at the 2011 Daegu World Championships, Bolt was disqualified due to a false start. Despite this unluckiness ,  he still won gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay.

A year later, at the London 2012 Olympics, Bolt defended all three of his titles and set the Olympic (different from his world record, as he achieved it outside the Olympics) 100m record with a time of 9.63 seconds.

Bro…How.

Moving on to the 2013 and 2015 World Championships, he…

You know what, just guess what happened.

He won gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, solidifying his record for the most world championship gold medals by a male athlete. (Yeah, that's sort of a real record)

Final races & Retirement 

During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bolt achieved his “triple-triple” record. Winning gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, at three consecutive Olympics. (3 gold medals x 3 olympics = 9 medals)

To this day, Bolt is recognised as the first sprinter to achieve 8 gold medals across the olympics games.

Wait, didn't you just say he had 9?

Well yeah, however his teammate Nesta Carter was tested positive for doping, using the banned substance methylhexaneamine, which mimics the effects of adrenaline. Therefore, the Olympics stripped him and team Jamaica of the 4x100m relay medal. 

This event also sadly stripped him of his “triple-triple” achievement.

2017. The year where Bolt had his final race. It ended in bronze.

His final season ended at the London world championships, where Bolt experienced a poor start and acceleration, which allowed sprinters Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman to overtake him, however both are known to be quite strong starters. 

Bolt crossed the finish line in a shocking 9.95 seconds. BUT, there was still the 4x100m relay.

Is Bolt gonna make a bolting comeback?

Sadly, no.

Bolt ran the final leg for the relay, and after taking 21 long strides down the track. He pulled his hamstring.

It was painful, very painful. He collapsed onto the ground, grabbing his leg.

However, when offered, he refused a wheelchair and instead limped towards the finish line with the help of his teammates. 

Surprisingly, people on social media accused him of faking his injury due to him losing, but he uploaded a comeback showcasing his medical report and MRI scan.

And after all this… Bolt announced his retirement from athletics, however his retirement was special. He did not retire after clear skill degradation, old age, or even criticism. He retired at his peak, choosing to retire after an injury that he could rehabilitate from after 3 months.

Why?

Bolt wanted to preserve his legacy as the fastest man in the world, and to be honest, wanted to avoid embarrassing comebacks.

Conclusion

Usain Bolts story is the ultimate testament of how a person with a dream, discipline, focus, and some talent can achieve extraordinary heights and records, and his quote says it all:

“I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds, and people give up when they don't see results in 2 months”

True greatness comes from years and years of relentless work and passion, not simply raw talent. Success is built in the shadows, behind the scenes, and not overnight. 

Instead of comparing yourself to the dude who is absolutely amazing at what they do, remember that they must have put in the work when no one was watching. And if not, that's a rare fella.

Will you put in the work?