Usain Bolt is the mercurial Jamaican sprinter who has electrified the world with his world record setting speed, magnetic personality, and trademark "arrow to the sky" celebrations. He is the only human being to hold both the 100 and 200 meters world records since 1977 when the world began to use fully automatic timing systems for the races. He is also the first person to win olympic gold for both the 100 and 200 meters in two consecutive olympics; and the first olympic sprinter to win 6 gold medal, and...you get the picture. He is now one of the most recognizable figures in the world. In light of all these accomplishments and the combined curiosity of the world at large as to why this human being is so fast, we here at WhatCulture have projected out to the next Olympics to be contested in beautiful Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 2016 and announce today 5 reasons why we think that Usain Bolt will retain his gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters.
1. Because There is no Winter in Jamaica or its People
Bolt is able to train all year round in his topical homeland, Jamaica. This means he is surrounded by friends, family, and an almost hero worshiping fan base: all that he has known for the extent of his pre-professional and professional life. It would be easy to say that these are exactly the factors that could cause him to lose focus, but as his loss to Yohan Blake in both the 100 and 200 meters final at the Jamaica National Qualificaitons has demonstrated, he knows how to work his way back from defeat and lack of focus. The nutrition and love that brought him up from a skinny kid in a small town in Jamaica to the heights of world sprinting, while it surely cannot be identified as the main reason for his success, it cannot be discounted as a major factor in his continued high level of performance. Running in paradise is not the same as just running--cue Bolt's smile at the end of his race.