“It Was a Surprise”: Usain Bolt Admits Thinking USA Would Win 100m Race at Tokyo Olympics 2020

The void left by Usain Bolt in the track and field competitions is massive. This talented sprinter won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games. What’s more impressive would be that he won at consecutive Olympics. That shows his quality and desire to be the best.

Hence, after his retirement, fans wanted to know who would win the 100-meters competition at Tokyo Olympics 2020. The answer, Lamont Marcell Jacobs. Italy’s talented sprinter rushed past his competitors to become the first champion since Usain Bolt.

Bolt acknowledged the Italian sprinter for claiming the gold medal. As usual, he’d expected US sprinters to win the race.

Usain Bolt congratulates Marcell Jacobs

Jacobs came through the ranks and finished with a time of 9.80 beating Bolt’s time of Rio Olympics 2016 by 0.01 seconds. Bolt was certainly impressed with Jacobs.

“For me, it was a surprise. Because I’d seen all the US athletes and everybody else, I was like, ‘maybe the US athletes will win’, but he showed up and he proved himself to be one of the best, and that’s what it’s all about. When you get onto the big stage, you have to prove yourself that the hard work that you put in and the focus that you have on the game. So my hat’s off to him,” said Bolt.

It is understandable why he’d thought the US would dominate the 100-meters competitions. Although he turned the tides back in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Team USA dominated the track and field competitions for many years.

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The USA boasts talented sprinters

Way before Bolt won the gold medal, the athletes from the United States of America dominated most of the competitions. Out of the 29 100-meter races that have happened in the Olympics, the USA won 16 gold medals in the competition, leading the way. Moreover, they have added 14 silver medals and nine bronze medals to it summing up to a total of 39 medals in the competitions.

The second place goes to Jamaica with Bolt’s three gold medals. He is the only athlete to win the medal in three consecutive Olympic Games.

With only Carl Lewis managing two gold medals, Bolt stands above the rest for the consistency he maintained.

As Marcell Jacobs passed the finishing line, he became the first Italian to win the 100-meters race. That sums up why Bolt was impressed with the talented sprinter.

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