Usain Bolt Set to Make Huge Return to Tracks Ahead of Tokyo Olympics 2021
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 17: Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after competing in the Men’s 200m Semifinals on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Usain Bolt decided to walk away from the tracks in 2017 after a World Championship performance, still in his early 30s. While most athletes generally continue for longer, the Jamaican had other avenues he wanted to explore before it was too late.
After an interesting career as a professional footballer, Bolt is now pulling his weight as a music producer, working his way to bigger partnerships and it is his hope to go international someday.
However, returning to the tracks once in a while isn’t going to hurt anybody and that is exactly what Usain Bolt seems to be doing, at least temporarily. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, the eight-time gold medallist is training for an 800m race!
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 9, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Before any of you gets their hopes up, the sprinter isn’t going competitive again. This race is part of promotional activity. According to NBC Sports, Bolt will be “going up against a CarMax customer who is getting an instant online offer for a vehicle on their phone as Bolt speeds around his home track”.
Usain Bolt does not miss the tracks as much as fans think
The race has already been scheduled for July 13 and will be streamed live on Bolt’s Facebook handle. Even though one might think Bolt gets some fond nostalgia and the accompanying urge to return, the Jamaican claimed he didn’t really miss it that much.
“When I go to the track and start training, then I don’t miss it that much. I’m excited to be training and just running and seeing what I can do,” he said, speaking to NBC Sports.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 14: Usain Bolt of Jamaica points to the sky before winning the Men’s 100 meter final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Usain Bolt has a personal best of 2 minutes and 5 seconds in the 800m race but he is confident that if he wore spikes, he could make it under 2 minutes. That being said, he admitted that he did miss the thrill of such challenges.
“I definitely miss it a little bit. I’m excited to be training and just running and seeing what I can do,” he said.
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BEIJING – AUGUST 20: Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal in the Men’s 200m Final ahead of Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe and Shawn Crawford of the United States at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
The eight-time Olympic Gold Medallist is optimistic of his 100m timings
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The Jamaican still believes he can clock 10.2 in the 100m race, an event that he dominated for 4 editions of the Olympics. “I guess one day we’ll test it out,” Bolt joked, ready to see if he still indeed has it in him.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 18: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates winning the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
However, Usain Bolt made it clear that this sent a teaser for a major return to the Olympics at all. “Definitely not,” he said. “This is just a one-off challenge to see if I still got it.”
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Needless to say, fans will be excited to see the greatest sprinter of all time on the tracks again, even if it isn’t a competition. With the Olympics just around the corner, it wouldn’t hurt to see some old Bolt magic to get in the mood.
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