World’s fastest man eyes coaching career
Published:Saturday | July 29, 2023 | 12:07 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
RETIRED sprint legend Usain Bolt could venture into the coaching arena sometime in the future.
Bolt, widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, called time on his illustrious career back in 2017 after the London World Championships, this after collecting a staggering eight Olympic gold medals, inclusive of being the only sprinter to have won the Olympic 100 and 200 metres at three consecutive Games. Bolt, who was in Paris, France, this week for the launch of the 2024 Olympic Games, told World Athletics’ Inside Track that he’s now harbouring thoughts of becoming a coach, but will need the guidance of his former mentor and coach Glen Mills.
“I think I’m leaning, maybe, to be a coach one day. It’s something that I’ve talked to my coach about, I need to pick his brain to see how his mind works, so I can be like him or be as good or better than him,” he stated.
Bolt believes that his change in mindset came about when he started his family which has since blossomed into three children. Having those children, Bolt stated, has now given him the patience that he once didn’t have, which he thinks is a prerequisite to becoming a good coach. Despite those coaching aspirations, the now 36-year-old revealed that he’s enjoying life as a father.
“It’s mainly focused on my kids right now, they’re growing up and for me I’m enjoying it and it’s fun. I remember people always asking me, are you going to coach? And I’ve always told people that I have no patience to coach. But now that I have three kids, you have to have patience,” he stated.
Known for his on-track theatrics, Bolt is also a four-time winner of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and was included in Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2016. His records of 9.58 in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m, which were set at the 2009 Berlin World Championships, still stand to this day. The former sprinter added that throughout his dominance on the track, the fans were a motivating factor, something he doesn’t take for granted.
“I live so much for the energy, vibe and what they bring when I come out there. That first walk into the stadium, when they erupt and start screaming gets me going, so they mean so much to me and without them I would be nothing really,” he revealed.