Usain Bolt misses thrill of competition but says athletics now belongs to new generation
The Jamaican sprint great, who retired in 2017, said he still missed the energy of competition but was content watching the next generation while embracing a new role within the sport.
Updated : Sep 13, 2026 23:16 IST , CHENNAI - 3 MINS READ
Usain Bolt said he missed the energy and adrenaline of competition but enjoyed watching the next generation of athletes. | Photo Credit: AP
Usain Bolt said he missed the energy and adrenaline of competition but enjoyed watching the next generation of athletes. | Photo Credit: AP
Usain Bolt may have stepped away from competitive athletics nearly a decade ago, but the Jamaican sprint legend admits the excitement of entering a packed stadium remains difficult to forget.
Bolt, who retired after the 2017 World Championships in London, was in Budapest as an ambassador for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. The 40-year-old said he still missed the atmosphere and adrenaline that accompanied his racing days, while acknowledging that the spotlight now belonged to another generation.
“You’re always going to miss it,” Bolt said. “When you walk out into the stadium and you feel the energy, I do miss that.”
Bolt dominated global sprinting for close to a decade, winning 19 global titles. His Olympic collection included 100m and 200m gold medals at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, along with two 4x100m relay titles.
He also completed the 100m, 200m and 4x100m treble at three World Championships between 2009 and 2015, apart from the 100m in Daegu in 2011, when he was disqualified for a false start.
His world records of 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m also remain untouched.
Despite missing competition, Bolt said he enjoyed watching athletes deal with the pressure he once experienced.
“But it’s not my moment. I just enjoy and watch them because I know a lot of them are nervous. It’s exciting,” he said.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe believes the ambassadorial role could offer Bolt a natural way of becoming more involved in the sport following years of discussions about his future contribution.
“I sort of feel like Usain is back in our sport again,” Coe said, adding that the Jamaican wanted to remain involved without necessarily taking up a conventional administrative role.
Bolt praised the new Ultimate Championship, which brought together Olympic, world, and Diamond League champions and offered 10 million Dollars in prize money.
He also dismissed concerns that athletics currently lacked a single dominant sprinter like him, arguing that unpredictability could benefit the sport.
“Competition is always good,” Bolt said.
Looking back at his own career, Bolt said his ambition had always been to be mentioned alongside sport’s greatest figures, including Muhammad Ali.
Years after retirement, he believes that objective has been achieved.
“So I’m happy that I’m actually in the conversation,” he said.
( With inputs from AFP).
Published on Sep 13, 2026
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