Imago
Credits: Instagram/Usain Bolt
Imago
Credits: Instagram/Usain Bolt
In the history of sports, there are very few names that have a more radiant luster than Usain Bolt’s. Being the fastest man alive, his great performances and unique charisma attracted the whole world towards sprinting—captivating fans across the globe. A pivotal figure in Bolt’s extraordinary journey was Michael Johnson—a sprinter who left a deep impression on the young Jamaican. The idea of ambition flourished when Bolt observed Johnson’s record-breaking races—he even studied Johnson’s movements and style of running. While, on the one hand, Bolt was impressed by an American sprinter, on the other hand, he was frustrated with the American coaching system. Despite getting a good opportunity, he denied it. What must have happened that made Bolt frustrated, and how was Johnson a pivotal influence on Bolt?
While remembering the 400m race, Bot continues to write with admiration, “Even when he was tiring towards the end of the 400m final—the seconds when his muscles were probably burning up every part of his body was upright.” Johnson has broken the record 22 times by finishing the 400m race in 44 seconds—more than twice as fast as any other athlete. Bolt further writes what blew his mind: “As he crossed the line in the first place, I remember thinking, ‘Man, I want to be somebody like Michael Johnson. I want to be an Olympic gold medallist.'” It was the first time “the thought had ever crossed my mind” to become an Olympian, and the rest is history. Bolt has a legacy in track and field but has also made many bold decisions in her career.
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The man behind Bolt’s motivation on track
Everyone needs motivation at some point in time, be it the “fastest man alive,” right? Usain Bolt has written many books, including his autobiography. Bolt has shared stories of the initial days of his career in Faster than Lightning: My autobiography, published in 2013, and one of the past incidents he shared reminded him of Michael Johnson.Once, when he was watching some old videos of the 1996 Olympic races, he came across Michael Johnson for the first time. Bolt says, “An athlete running the 200 m and 400 m, my events. Even better, he won gold in both and broke the 200 world record with a time of 19.32 seconds.” Any young athlete would get influenced the same way Bolt did. American sprinter recorded his personal best—19.32 seconds—in 1996. Johnson also has US national records for the 200, 300, and 400 meters.Seeing Johnson running with so much grace and enthusiasm, the track and field legend felt excited. Explaining his feelings, Usain Bolt wrote in his autobiography, “Now that was exciting, but the main thing I noticed as I watched him running around the track to first place was that his back was so upright that his head stared straight down the lane. It was weird to see a guy run like that.” He further added, “I could not for the life of me work out how he was doing it. Johnson seemed so smooth, he made his races look too easy.” It was the legendary performances of Johnson in the 200 and 400 meters that first made Bolt dream of becoming an Olympian.