'I Was Losing My Mind'- Usain Bolt Sheds Light on Heartbreaking Disqualification

Usain Bolt reflects on his heartbreaking disqualification.

'I Was Losing My Mind'- Usain Bolt Sheds Light on Heartbreaking Disqualification

Stephen Awino 04:00 - 05.05.2025

Sprint legend Usain Bolt has opened up on his heartbreaking disqualification at 2011 World Championships in the 100m final.

Sprint legend Usain Bolt has reflected on his shocking disqualification from the 100m final at the 2011 World Athletics Championships.

Bolt revered as the greatest sprinter to ever grace the track has many highlights of his career, many of them positives.

However the 2011 World Championhips 100m final remains a stain on his legacy that still haunts the 11-time world champion.

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Speaking candidly in a recent episode of Puma's Go Wild Podcast on YouTube, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist recounted the mental turmoil leading up to the false start and the deep frustration that followed.

“I was so focused I couldn't believe what had happened,” Bolt revealed.

“It was a shock to my system. I was like, what did I just do?”

The Jamaican sprinter, known for his calm demeanor and showmanship on the track, described how uncharacteristically tense he felt during the lead-up to the race.

Throughout that season, he had been struggling with inconsistency at the start—something that weighed heavily on his mind.

“My coach kept telling me, stop worrying about your start. You will never be great at the start. You’ll be okay. Stop worrying. Go and execute,” Bolt explained.

“But I went out there and always on my mind was, get it right.”

In what would become one of the most dramatic moments in World Championship history, Bolt false started and was immediately disqualified under the then-new one-false-start rule.

The stadium was in disbelief as the reigning world and Olympic champion ripped off his shirt in visible frustration before walking off the track.

“I wasn’t one of those athletes to go, oh, I need to stay in there. So I didn’t fuss. I just walked away. I was losing my mind,” he said.

“Behind the stands, it was full when I was there, and after I left, it was empty. So it was tough. That one, I still can’t believe it happened.”

Bolt also shared that he may have mistakenly reacted to what he thought was the starter’s signal.

“For some reason, I could swear somebody said go. And I just went. And as soon as I got out the blocks, I was like, no!”

In hindsight, the sprinting icon sees that moment as a learning experience, one that reshaped his mental approach.

“I promised myself it would never happen again because I wasn’t myself. I was never that person to be thinking about something. I was always the person to be calm, enjoying the crowd. I wasn’t doing that. I was just so focused on trying to get it right," he noted.

Bolt would go on to redeem himself by winning the 200m title later in the same championship and continue dominating the sprinting world until his retirement in 2017.

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