Usain Bolt has encouraged the new generation of sprinters to embrace comparisons to him.
Sprint legend Usain Bolt has opened up on how the current generation of sprinters can aspire to achieve the greatness he once did.
The eight-time Olympic gold medalist has become the benchmark for sprinting excellence, often getting compared to today’s top athletes.
Among those who have earned comparisons to the double world record holder in the 100m and 200m are Olympic champion Noah Lyles and teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout and fellow Jamaican Kishane Thompson.
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Bolt on Athletes’ Rejection of Comparisons
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The world's fastest man has shared his thoughts on why some current sprinters shy away from comparisons and what it will take to match or surpass his legacy.
"A lot of athletes always say, ‘Oh, I don't want to be like Usain Bolt. I want to be my own self.’ Yes, you should be different. But you should want to be like me. You know what I mean?" said Bolt on a recent episode of The Go Wild Podcast on YouTube.
Athletes like Lyles, Gout Gout and Thompson, who have all been compared to Bolt, have expressed a desire to carve out their own identities in the sport.
However, the 11-time world champion believes this mindset may be misguided for those who aspire to reach the pinnacle of greatness, revealing that he himself drew inspiration from American sprint legend Michael Johnson.
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"Do it in your own way. Yeah, because when I hear these like, ‘Oh, I don't want to be the next Bolt, but you should want to be the next Usain Bolt," said Bolt.
"I've always done that because I wanted to be Michael Johnson. He inspired me. I wanted to be like him, because he was the epitome of greatness. He was the one that showed you what you need to do to get there."
Advice for the Next Generation
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The Jamaican sprint icon went on to outline what the current generation of sprinters must do if they aim to dethrone him.
"If you want to surpass me, beautiful. But if you're going to say, ‘Oh, I don't want to be the next Usain Bolt,’ what do you want to be? Because I'm the one who set the bar where it is now. So, if you want to get there, you have to be me and more,” Bolt emphasized.
“So I always hear athletes say that, and I’m confused—why don’t you want to be like the person who is the greatest? You know what I mean? So be that person. But also be more. Do it in your way. Be your own person. And that I understand.”
Olympic champion Noah Lyles, for example, has openly stated his desire to break Bolt’s 200m world record, but he has also shown interest in creating his own legacy separate from the comparisons.
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Still, Bolt believes that if Lyles and others truly want to surpass his legacy, they should embrace the comparisons and make them their own.