Spanish
David Ramiro | Tokyo (EFE).- Eight years after his retirement, Usain Bolt, world record holder in the 100 (9.58) and 200 meters (19.19), continues to cause a sensation wherever he goes. In Tokyo he has felt, once again, the affection of all athletics fans, who see him as "a legend", something he likes and for which he "has always worked" since his time as a professional athlete.
Q: Since he retired, he goes often to see the training of the Jamaicans with Glen Mills. Does he give them advice? R: I try not to impose myself on the athletes. It all depends on whether they want me to help them or give them advice. I go to see training sessions and try not to get involved, because sometimes the coach has a different piece of advice than the one I could give. I tend to wait until the coach asks me or if the athlete himself tells me something. Generally, I stay back and observe, because I know they are in good hands. Q: What are the strengths of Jamaican athletes? R: These guys -Oblique Seville, Kishane Thompson- are showing that they have great talent but in the end the only thing that matters is execution. I mean the event is important, the situation sometimes a little stressful, but if you know how to handle it you can provide a great moment as they have done. Q: How important is the mental factor when you are about to run a race? R: Last year, in Paris 2024, I felt that Thompson could win but after being inactive for so long, in his first championship, he couldn't. Mentally it's going to be harder for him than for Noah Lyles, because there were four more champions before him. He needs someone to help him overcome that and teach him. In my case, I always say I'm ready when I do something, even though I have nothing to worry about now. If you ask any boxer, no matter how old they are, they will tell you how natural it is to keep fighting because they have done it for years. I have confidence in myself because I know I did the right work for a long time. Q: He retired in 2017 but people still recognize him. Does he like it? R: It's great that people still recognize you as the fastest. That's what I work for. When I competed, I worked to be the benchmark. Now that I've retired, I feel a great sensation knowing that I'm still a reference. I wanted to be a legend. I wanted to set high standards and I did. I am happy about it. P: Gout Gout (Australian) is surprising with his seventeen years and can be a great star. A few months ago he ran a time of 20.02 in the 200, which improves his records at his age. What expectations do you have for him? R: Oh, I really don't have any expectations. I'm just observing the young talent. I'm always impressed by young people who really perform well. It's good for the sport to see many more emerging talents succeeding. I just hope he has a better transition to the top level than I did. He needs to find a good team, especially a good coach who understands how to deal with the transition because it won't be easy. The future will be much more intense. There will be injuries, there will be stress, and many things will happen. So, hopefully, he will find the right group of people who can really help him transition to the top level. P: The next World Championships are in Beijing 2027. What do you remember about the 2008 Games? R: The Beijing Games were a great moment that changed my life. I won three golds and the way people treated me and the world received me changed everything. Beijing will always have a special place in my heart. I will tell my young children about it and explain to them what their father has done over the years. P: What career does he/she like the most? R: The 100 is exciting but I feel that the 800 is the peak of excitement. It's not too long or too short. It keeps the energy high all the time. Q: Many of the fastest times in history in the 100 meters were achieved at least ten years ago or even more. How do you think this is possible given all the new technology and innovation in sports? R: The real answer is that maybe people were more talented before. I'm talking about men because you can see that women are different and have a high level. Children and young people are growing and running at faster times but there must be progression. And for that there is talent. Nails and technology can help but there are more things. Q: Since he is retired, how is a day at home? A: I usually wake up just in time to see the kids off to school. Then it depends on what I have to do. Sometimes if I have nothing to do I just relax or when I'm in a good mood I watch a series and wait until the kids get home. I spend some time with them, until they start to bother me and then I leave (laughs). Many times I just stay home and watch movies or do Legos. Q: Does it ever run? R: No, what I like most is working out at the gym, but now that I've been away for a while, I have to start running because when I go up the stairs I get out of breath. When I get back I'll have to do some laps to catch my breath again (laughs).
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Retired since 2017, Bolt (Sherwood Content, Jamaica; 1986) continues to hold his reign as the fastest man in the history of track and field. His records attest to this and, in fact, no one has managed to beat his best time (9.58 seconds, on August 16, 2009 at the Berlin World Championships), despite the attempts of athletes like the American Noah Lyles, who has spoken about it on several occasions. Approachable, friendly, and joking, he attended a small group of international media in the box at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, including EFE as the only Spanish-speaking one. Although he is aware that "with time, with new shoes and new technology" records will be broken, he assures that "talent is still more important."Q: Since he retired, he goes often to see the training of the Jamaicans with Glen Mills. Does he give them advice? R: I try not to impose myself on the athletes. It all depends on whether they want me to help them or give them advice. I go to see training sessions and try not to get involved, because sometimes the coach has a different piece of advice than the one I could give. I tend to wait until the coach asks me or if the athlete himself tells me something. Generally, I stay back and observe, because I know they are in good hands. Q: What are the strengths of Jamaican athletes? R: These guys -Oblique Seville, Kishane Thompson- are showing that they have great talent but in the end the only thing that matters is execution. I mean the event is important, the situation sometimes a little stressful, but if you know how to handle it you can provide a great moment as they have done. Q: How important is the mental factor when you are about to run a race? R: Last year, in Paris 2024, I felt that Thompson could win but after being inactive for so long, in his first championship, he couldn't. Mentally it's going to be harder for him than for Noah Lyles, because there were four more champions before him. He needs someone to help him overcome that and teach him. In my case, I always say I'm ready when I do something, even though I have nothing to worry about now. If you ask any boxer, no matter how old they are, they will tell you how natural it is to keep fighting because they have done it for years. I have confidence in myself because I know I did the right work for a long time. Q: He retired in 2017 but people still recognize him. Does he like it? R: It's great that people still recognize you as the fastest. That's what I work for. When I competed, I worked to be the benchmark. Now that I've retired, I feel a great sensation knowing that I'm still a reference. I wanted to be a legend. I wanted to set high standards and I did. I am happy about it. P: Gout Gout (Australian) is surprising with his seventeen years and can be a great star. A few months ago he ran a time of 20.02 in the 200, which improves his records at his age. What expectations do you have for him? R: Oh, I really don't have any expectations. I'm just observing the young talent. I'm always impressed by young people who really perform well. It's good for the sport to see many more emerging talents succeeding. I just hope he has a better transition to the top level than I did. He needs to find a good team, especially a good coach who understands how to deal with the transition because it won't be easy. The future will be much more intense. There will be injuries, there will be stress, and many things will happen. So, hopefully, he will find the right group of people who can really help him transition to the top level. P: The next World Championships are in Beijing 2027. What do you remember about the 2008 Games? R: The Beijing Games were a great moment that changed my life. I won three golds and the way people treated me and the world received me changed everything. Beijing will always have a special place in my heart. I will tell my young children about it and explain to them what their father has done over the years. P: What career does he/she like the most? R: The 100 is exciting but I feel that the 800 is the peak of excitement. It's not too long or too short. It keeps the energy high all the time. Q: Many of the fastest times in history in the 100 meters were achieved at least ten years ago or even more. How do you think this is possible given all the new technology and innovation in sports? R: The real answer is that maybe people were more talented before. I'm talking about men because you can see that women are different and have a high level. Children and young people are growing and running at faster times but there must be progression. And for that there is talent. Nails and technology can help but there are more things. Q: Since he is retired, how is a day at home? A: I usually wake up just in time to see the kids off to school. Then it depends on what I have to do. Sometimes if I have nothing to do I just relax or when I'm in a good mood I watch a series and wait until the kids get home. I spend some time with them, until they start to bother me and then I leave (laughs). Many times I just stay home and watch movies or do Legos. Q: Does it ever run? R: No, what I like most is working out at the gym, but now that I've been away for a while, I have to start running because when I go up the stairs I get out of breath. When I get back I'll have to do some laps to catch my breath again (laughs).
