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In celebration of Usain Bolt’s nine Olympic gold medals, we remember the Jamaican’s nine best moments at the Games
The greatest sprinter of all time said goodbye to the Olympic Games in perfect fashion on Friday (19 August) night, winning the 4×100 metre relay and claiming his ninth gold medal. Usain Bolt completed his triple triple – winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games: Beijing 2008, London 2012 and now at Rio 2016.
1. Humble entry into Rio
With the eyes of the world on him as he touched down in Rio de Janiero, Bolt may have surprised some by how understated his arrival was. The sprint superstar came through the arrival gates at Rio’s international airport, saluted the world’s press before quietly disappearing into a private car.
The Jamaican athletes did not immediately move into the Athletes’ Village and many expected Bolt to stay in one of the swankiest hotels in Rio. But the sprint star opted to stay at an inconspicuous hotelwith the rest of the Jamaican team close to the international airport and close to the sprint team’s training facility. And as for his requests, Bolt merely asked for a bit of Jamaican food and some milk and cereal for his night snacks – keeping it simple.
2. ‘These children are our future’
While access to Bolt was highly restricted to reporters desperate for a line on the big star of the Games, the Jamaican showed his softer side on 2 August, when a group of children from underprivileged communities surrounding his training base was invited to come down and meet the living legend.
Bolt posted a photo of him and the kids doing his iconic lightning bolt pose on Instagram and underneath his caption read: “They say these children are from the most dangerous communities (favelas) here in Rio. They are our future and I’m very happy I got to meet them.”
3. Press Conference Goes Samba
At his only official public appearance before he launched his Rio 2016 campaign, Bolt was asked at a press conference whether he considered himself an athlete or an entertainer. “I am both,” he said. “I’m definitely a sprinter first, but I like to entertain because that’s what people come for.” By the end, the proceedings had turned into a live samba show and the Jamaican, wiggling his hips alongside a dozen carnival dancers, never looked out of place.
4. The 100m semi-final and ‘that‘ photo
Bolt produced what is sure to become one of the most iconic sports photos of all time, when cruising to victory in his 100m semi-final. As he is known to do, with the race won, Bolt took his foot off the pedal for the final 20 metres. And on this occasion it was a cheeky smile as he glanced over to photographers that will be forever immortalised. So relaxed while the rest of the competition struggle to catch his coat-tails – Cameron Spencer’s shot is the most ‘Bolt’ photo you are likely to see.
5. 100m final win has fans in a frenzy
Apart from the Olympic Stadium, the best place to watch Bolt pick up the first of his three gold medalswas at Jamaica House, where fans celebrated in a Caribbean party atmosphere. The level of tension as the sprinters lined up was only exceeded by the elation, as the big man crossed the line in a time of 9.81 seconds.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness joined the festivities and, with Bob Marley’s One Love playing in the background, had this to say: “Usain has is our beloved son, and from what I saw in the stadium, the world is proud of him. The stadium was literally willing him to win. It was an electrifying experience, I’ve never witnessed anything like it before.
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