Jamaica’s Usain Bolt Retires, Gives Advice to Young Sprinters

Jamaican eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt heads to retirement, leaving sports with one last piece of advice for young Jamaican sprinters in their blossoming careers.

RELATED:
Bolt Treasured by Jamaicans Not Only for His Speed

Following his farewell lap around the track at the close of the International Association of Athletics Federation, IAAF, World Championships in London, Bolt told sprinters that as long as they displayed the same passion for running and an insatiable desire to succeed, nothing would stand in their way.

“I've proved with hard work anything is possible. I personally think this is a good message to the kids. 'Push on, be strong, be as good as you can be.' That's a good legacy to leave,” the athlete told reporters in a meeting with the press.

“But I've learned that everybody is not like me — you have to want it, you have to be hungry, you have to want to be the greatest and I think that will be the key thing for the Jamaican athletes.”

Bolt bowed as he wrapped up the Championships, taking away the Bronze medal from the 100 meter and an injury from the 4x100m relay.

He is already looking forward to an “exciting future,” he said, with his management camp reportedly in talks with IAAF President Sebastian Coe about what he might be able to do for the sport in an ambassadorial capacity. The 11-time global winning champion also stated his desire to trade one sports dream for another, trading in his track shoes for cleats and possibly training with a major soccer team.

Bolt was the first person to hold both the 100 meters and 200 meters world records since fully automatic time became mandatory, according to The Guardian. The Jamaican athlete also holds the world record as a part of the 4 × 100 metres relay.