The king of sprinting, Usain Bolt, first earned the title of a legend in 2008. Displaying his heroics on the global stage, he stunned the world with his insane 9.69 seconds finish in the 100m race at the Beijing Olympics.

Undeniably, Bolt has incredible and unbeatable skills; however, he is also a super lucky man. The Jamaican sprinter recently revealed how a race that could’ve caused his career’s worst injury turned out to be the most significant one for other reasons.

Usain Bolt revealed his shoelace was untied during the race

The 8-time Olympic gold medalist made his mega-quadrennial games debut in 2004. However, the 6’5 tall man’s capabilities came into the spotlight in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics.

Bolt clocked the then world record and Olympic record-breaking time of 9.69 seconds that year. Moreover, he recently revealed that he did it with his shoelaces untied. During the Expo 2020 Dubai, Bolt made the shocking revelation of how his career could’ve gone sideways, had he fallen victim to an injury then.

Bolt said, “People started talking about it and I started watching the videos, people saying my shoe was untied and I didn’t even notice. It could have gone horribly wrong.”

Thankfully, he did not fall, and the world witnessed history being made. However, Bolt also revealed that he only wanted to win the race, after missing out on the podium in 2004 because of a hamstring injury. “For me, it was never about the world record. It was about winning. My main aim was to win,” he said. 

2008 was the hardest training year of his career

When the Jamaican legend won the 2008 Olympics race, he was seen beating his chest like a conqueror. According to Bolt, it was the joy of winning after going through the most intense training of his career.

Bolt said, “That is why I beat my chest when I crossed the line. It was just pure joy. I think ’08 was the hardest I have ever trained in my whole career. I worked so hard because I wanted it so bad. It was just pure joy and it just came out. I had done it, and it was a moment I will never forget.”

Notably, in 2009, Bolt recorded the world’s fastest time again in 100m and 200m races, a feat no one has surpassed to date. Interestingly, even during a major car crash, Bolt survived with few to no injuries. Indeed, the world’s fastest man is a very lucky man as well. And thanks to his luck, he continues to say healthy, fit, and inspire the world.

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