Athlete Profile: Usain Bolt
We are privileged to have watched the rise and rise of one of the most phenomenal athletes in the history of Sport, Usain Bolt. His achievements are so gargantuan that he has been nicknamed the ‘fastest athlete ever’. Rising to the peak of his career and sweeping every available award, he cemented his place in the minds of sports fans and enthusiasts all over the world. A competitor with a burning appetite to win, and a burnout training routine to keep his muscles fit as a fiddle, meet the track and field Champ, Usain Bolt.
Every athlete needs a mentor. There’s always going to be someone that has achieved something and seems larger than life. Usain Bolt was that person for countless athletes around the globe. It was surreal to watch one man win over and over again – that level of consistency is something we don’t see too often in sports, as many sportsmen rise to the peaks of their career and decline with the same intensity with which they found fame and accomplishment.
This is just as much a tribute to greatness as it is a decent read for every athlete that is passionate about sports – Track and field in particular. Behind every successful sportsman out there, be it the eccentric Floyd Mayweather of Boxing, the legendary Mohammed Ali or even Hakeem Olajuwon of boxing is a story of guts and glory, relentless pursuit of excellence, zeal, and zest. Usain Bolt was no different.
Early Years
Usain Bolt was born on the 21st of August 1986 in Sherwood Content, Jamaica. the son of Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt. He has two siblings – a brother, Sadiki, and sister Sherine. His parents owned a local grocery store in rural Jamaica. Bolt’s first contact with sports was playing cricket and football on the street with his brother. According to him “When I was young, I didn’t really think about anything other than sports.”
When Bolt attended Primary School, where he began showing his sprint potential when he ran in his parish’s annual national primary school competition, and by the age of twelve, Bolt became the school’s fastest runner in the 100 meters category.
The World’s Fastest Man
Usain Bolt was arguably the fastest man in Sports, winning three gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in China, and becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win both 100-meters and 200-meter categories in record times. He also won three Olympic gold medals during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. He participated in the men’s 100-meter race and reached the finish line in only 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that made him the first man in history to set three world records in one Olympic competition. Again, he made history at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro when he won gold in both 100-meters and 200-meters categories and the 4×100 meter relay race, completing what is known as a “triple-triple,” when an athlete wins three gold medals in three consecutive Olympics totaling up to 9 gold medals over the course of his professional career.
Usain Bolt First taste of Fame
A 200 meters win made him the youngest junior gold medallist ever. The overwhelming presence of the crowd that came out to watch the game made him so anxious that he wore his shoes on the wrong feet. In the end, the race went on to become a defining event in his career as a professional athlete.
Another golden opportunity came for Usain to excel during the 2002 World Junior Championships held in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt was given another chance to prove his salt on a world stage. He won the 200 meters in a time of 20.61 seconds, which was 0.03 seconds slower than his personal best of 20.58, which he achieved in the 1st round.
Legacies for Jamaica
In his first major regional appearance for Jamaica at a Caribbean regional event, Bolt hit a personal record of 48.28 seconds in the 400 meters of the 2001 CARIFTA Games, earning himself a silver medal. In the 200m category, he also won a silver, finishing in only 21.81 seconds.
He made his first appearance internationally at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championship in Debrecen, Hungary. He participated in the 200 meters event, but failed to qualify for the finals, although he still set a new personal record of 21.73 seconds.
Bolt is one of the only nine athletes ever (other athletes include Veronica Campbell-Brown, Valerie Adams, Yelena Isinbayeva, Jacques Freitag, Dani Samuels, Jana Pittman, Kirani James, and David Storl) to win a world championship at both the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.
Bolt was such an exceptional Sportsman that the Prime Minister of Jamaica, P. J. Patterson recognized his talent and arranged for him to move back to Kingston so he could train with the Jamaican Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) at the University of Technology, Jamaica.
Train Like Bolt: Usain Bolt’s Workout Routine
According to Bolt, any athlete can hit staggering speeds. However, if you ever dream of running like Bolt, you should follow his meticulous training and nutrition regimen to increase your stability and improve strength.
Remember, this elite runner (Bolt) spends up to 90 minutes ‘grinding’ in the gym every single day doing various workouts geared toward increasing his speed and dexterity while maintaining his athletic frame. The world’s fastest man never takes a break. What do you do with your free time?
Usain Bolt focuses on core-strengthening exercises to train his weak center muscles. Furthermore, his training retinue helps to enhance his muscle strength and keeps him sturdy and swift on his feet, while increasing his flexibility to lengthen his strides.
Some of Bolt’s workout Routines
- Leg Raise (3 sets, Rests for 30secs)
- Reverse Crunch (3 sets, Rests for 30secs)
- Side Sweep (3 sets, Rests for 30secs)
- Side Plank (3 sets, Rests for 30secs)
- Boundings (3 sets, 10 reps)
- Box Jump (4 sets, 8 reps)
- Bunny Hop (5 sets, 20 reps)
- Hanging Leg Raises (3 sets, 10 reps)
- Cable Knee Drive (3 sets, 10 reps)
Usain Bolt Stature and Dimensions
Usain has a pretty heavy build compared to other Track and field athletes and stands at a towering height above them. Below are his statistics.
Chest – 41 inches (104 cm)
Arms/Biceps – 15½ inches (39 cm)
Waist – 33 inches (84 cm)
Foot size – 13 (US)
