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Shaquille O’Neal Reminds World of Usain Bolt’s Determination With an Inspirational Video

Published 07/27/2022, 11:30 AM EDT

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At the end of his career, Usain Bolt won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games. Sprinting his way to glory, Bolt dominated the sport from start to finish and completely changed the whole complexion of track and field. However, the road to success was not straightforward. The first time he ran at the Olympics was in 2004. But, he failed to qualify. In a resurfaced video, NBA star, Shaquille O’Neal, shared a story of his first race in Athens.

 

From being a slender teenager to the fastest man alive, the story will continue for ages. The superiority showcased in every race after the 2004 Athens Olympics speaks volumes about his commitment. O’Neal shared the post with Bolt struggling to qualify for the next round. The rest, as they say, is history. 

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Shaquille O’Neal’s heartwarming post for Usain Bolt

The former center shared a story of Bolt’s career after the 2004 Athens Olympics. Only a few know about Bolt‘s appearance at the 2004 Olympics. Despite missing out on the 2004 World Junior Championships, Bolt made the Jamaican national team for the Olympics. The heat showcased Bolt running in the 200-meter competition. At the end of the race, he failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

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Poland’s Marcin Jędrusiński finished first by setting 20.63. Tobias Unger and Joseph Batangdon finished second and third, respectively. As for Bolt, he finished fifth by setting 21.05. He failed to qualify by missing the semi-finals by 0.3 seconds. O’Neal posted a story on Instagram on this race. The finals saw the USA take a clean sweep. 

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Shawn Crawford took gold, Bernard Williams won silver, and Justin Gatlin took home the bronze. However, it all changed in Beijing. Enter the king of Jamaica. 

Pure dominance of the Jamaican

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With the 100-meter title in the bag, Bolt appeared for the 200-meters. We often use the word dominance, but Bolt tore apart his competitors in the final. He broke Michael Johnson’s 200-meter world record of 19.32, and Bolt set 10.30. From that Olympics, none could come close to the legend. He followed that 200-meter title at the 2012 London Olympics and had his last dance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

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He set the benchmark. For people to win the competition, they had to beat Bolt. There was no other way. He won the races in style and lowered the world record to 19.19 at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Bolt owns two world records, which are hard to conquer. It is a pure case of commitment, a never-give-up attitude that led to greatness. After failing the first hurdle, he redeemed himself for the next 12 years. 

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy

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Jacob Gijy is a US Sports and NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Post Graduation in Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the power forward, the respect he deserves.
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Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar