5. The Heart and Mind of the Man
Usain Bolt has been a champion since his early teens and was an international gold medalist in the 200 meters at the
World Junior Championships by 2002 at the age of 15. In fact, he still holds the world record in that event. He has consistently won at all ages of competition. One story tells how, in the beginning of his youth career, he was so nervous at a meet that he put his shoes on left to right and right to left. After that experience, he vowed never to be nervous again. The sprint world's most dominant athlete that we see now towers over that boy. He is now loose and open, jocular even, as he prepares for his races. It is this attitude that will protect him as he comes to these final years of his career and the would be sprint kings lay claim to his titles. I spoke about his tremendous competitive drive, about how he had to refocus after losing to Blake at both 100 and 200 meters in the very high profile Jamaican Olympic Trails. Later he had an issue with his start at the 2011 World Championships and was disqualified. With all these things weighing on him, plus the expectations of some, and the doubts of others, he was still able to refocus and produce performances of historic consequences in London. He is always affable, always friendly, and always ready with a smile. It is this personality that will keep him the peoples champion as he goes on his quest for immortality.
Conclusion
Usain Bolt is one of the super athletes of our lifetime, and if he is able to repeat his double gold exploits in Brazil in 2016, we will be talking about him for many years to come as the unequivocal best sprinter ever. Why has he been able to do what he has done, and why do we think he is going to do it again; we have given our reasons. But maybe the answer is no more complicated than this is his time, and this is his destiny.