When it comes to the world of track and field, few names incite as much fanfare as Usain Bolt. From his trademark celebration to his inhumane times on the track, he redefined sprinting as it was known. But it seems the reverence that a name like his deserves isn’t being given to him. After all, from Noah Lyles calling himself the Fastest Man on the Planet to various youngsters openly saying they’re better than Bolt, people have forgotten what The Lightning Bolt was truly like. And it seems the man himself isn’t taking too kindly to this slander.

But why should he? Usain Bolt is truly the crème de la crème when it comes to sprinting. So much so that his 100m record that he made back in the 2009 world championships still hasn’t even come close to being broken. The same is also true for his 2009 200m record that he set in the same championships. So it’s no wonder when someone tells them they want to be like Bolt. Unfortunately, a lot of times, athletes often say that they do not want to be the ‘next Usain Bolt.’

Speaking in his recent appearance with PUMA, Bolt vented his frustration. He claimed that when it comes to the track, he is currently the ultimate leader. Thus, all the athletes are trying to outshine his record. And this, ultimately, makes them the next one to eclipse or equal Usain Bolt. Thus, not wanting to be the next Bolt does not make sense.

“A lot of athletes always say, Oh, I don’t want to be like Usain Bolt. I want to be myself. Yes, you should be different. But you should want to be like me. You know what I mean? Do it in your way. Yeah, because when I hear these, like, oh, I don’t want to be the next. But you should want to be the next Usain Bolt,” said Bolt. The Jamaican further shed light on how back in the days, it was Michael Johnson whom he drew inspiration from. 

Johnson’s greatness made Bolt want to be like him and cement his legacy in the track and field realm. Elaborating on his point further, Bolt stated, “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.”

What Bolt meant was that if athletes wanted to surpass Bolt, then they would have to attain a similar level of greatness. Although it would be in their own, unique style, the aim shall remain the same. Meanwhile, while Bolt was almost unparalleled in his running days, Bolt doubled down on the one athlete who could have beaten him in his prime.

Usain Bolt once admitted there was only one man he thought could beat him

In a world where no one ever truly caught up with Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history, once made a startling admission. At the peak of his powers, long before retirement etched his legacy in stone, Bolt confessed that there was one person he genuinely believed could outrun him. Not a rival from another nation, but someone from his backyard. And he named none other than his fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell.

“He’s always been telling me that over the years,” Powell told The Guardian in 2011. Reflecting on his conversation with Bolt, Powell further shared, “I get the truth out of him when he drinks a bit. He gets a bit tipsy, and he’s like: ‘Asafa, you’re the only man in the world I think can beat. ‘ That jaw-dropping statement came just before the 2008 Olympics, with Bolt fresh off a 9.72s run and the world at his feet.

Powell, who once held the 100m world record himself, never quite struck gold individually on the Olympic stage — a cruel twist of fate. But he carries something far rarer: the acknowledgment from the greatest sprinter of all time that he was the only man feared. “I really have a lot of respect for him, and he has a lot of respect for me as well,” Powell added. For him, that sentiment may outshine any medal.