“Without This”- Usain Bolt’s Decision Guaranteed His Dream to Walk Amongst Legends Like Muhammad Ali and Pele

Published 07/03/2022, 12:45 AM EDT

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Everybody has ambitions in life. They plan their lives accordingly to achieve these goals. Similarly, Usain Bolt, too, had aspirations that he hoped to accomplish someday. The sprinter worked hard to make his mark in the world. And it manifested by ascribing the title of the fastest man alive.

Usain Bolt becomes the fastest man alive

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Today, Bolt is regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. And he wished to accomplish just that before he began breaking world records.

This recognition did not just extend to his sport. It allowed him to secure a position among the world’s greatest athletes. But winning did not come easy for the athlete. During his Olympic debut in 2004, Bolt did not qualify for the heats of the events.

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However, something changed in the next four years when he appeared in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Before attending the 2008 Olympics, Bolt bettered the world record in the 100m set by compatriot Asafa Powell by 0.02s.

Therefore, when he competed in the event at the Olympics, he was already hailed as the favorite. But the sprinter would better his previous time of 9.72s to a staggering 9.69s at the meet.

However, Bolt would not stop at that either. The Olympian aimed to better his time in subsequent meets. And at the IAAF World Championships the following year, he proceeded to achieve just that. The athlete completed the event in record time, clocking an astonishing 9.58s.

But in his eyes, it was just another step toward achieving the goals he had dreamed of for so long. So he continued to win various accolades in the coming years. In his final Olympic meet, Bolt was still pursuing his dream of being counted among the best athletes in the world.

Bolt wanted to surpass the boundaries of his sport

After clocking the fastest time in the world in the 100m event, he became the fastest man alive. But he had to prove himself; he still had to offer more to the world.

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Therefore, Bolt accomplished something he had dreamed of for so long at the Rio Olympics. Bolt clinched three more golds at the meet to become the only sprinter in the sport’s history to win three golds in two events at three consecutive Olympic Games. Following the Rio Olympics, Bolt said, “I wanted to be one of the greatest.”

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“I wanted to be among the greats. Without this Olympics, I would be great, yes. But I don’t think I would be in the bracket of Muhammad Ali, Pele and the great footballers. That’s what I want,” the sprinter added.

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These achievements fulfilled his dreams of being considered among the world’s greatest athletes. Following the Rio Olympics, Bolt was not only the fastest man alive. He fulfilled his destiny of becoming one of the greats of the sporting world; he became a legend.

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Written by:

Aklanta Chetia

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Aklanta Chetia Wanniang is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in Literature from the University of Delhi. With an interest in learning about multiple sports, Aklanta himself is a former sportsperson and has participated in state and national level swimming events.
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Edited by:

Ankit Sharma