Olympic champ Usain Bolt to quit running after 2017 World Championship?
Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter has reaffirmed his decision to make next summer’s Rio Olympics his last, also revealing that he plans to retire from the sport after the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.
The athlete was in Mexico City on October 7, as part of his promotional duties for Puma, where he set out his remaining career goals as he considers retirement post 2016 Olympic Games. The fastest man ever is the first to hold both the 100m and 200m world records. He has also set the world record for the men’s 4 x 100-metre relay, making him the first Olympian champion to take all three events.
The 29-year old announced he will begin preparations for Rio from next Monday after enjoying a break away from athletics. “I start training for the Olympics on October 12. It will be my last Olympics," Bolt was quoted as saying by dailymail.co.uk on Wednesday.
The five-time 'IAAF World Athlete of the Year' award winner revealed that his careers goals were set aside before he hung up his shoes, not wanting to rely on his past laurels. "I have two more goals I hope to accomplish before I retire and that is defending my Olympic title three times, that's one, and I'd love to run the sub-90 also, so those are the two goals that keeps driving me on, that I really want to do next season. But in my life, I really don't know right now, if I lose a race I don't know," he added.
His most important aim for the moment is to win the gold at Rio de Janeiro next year. But post the 2017 World Athletics Championships, he is uncertain about what he wants to do. "I should have one more World Championships, but I'm not too sure what I want to do after retiring. Some people say I should try acting but I think I will stay in sport and figure out what I can do," the six-time Olympic champion added.
Bolt had started off by playing cricket first. He was a fast bowler before his coach Pablo McNeil suggested him to try track and field events. The rest is for everyone to see.
Here’s a video of the 2011 World Championships 100m race where the Jamaican broke the world record: