Sport
Usain Bolt seeks to repeat ‘living legend’ status at London Olympics
No more deejaying parties, no more late nights at the Quad, a one-time favorite nightspot in Kingston where he perfected the Gully Creeper and nuh linga, two of the dances he did to celebrate his wins in Beijing. No more motorbiking, either, though that isn’t exactly his choice.
When Bolt went looking for a bike a few months ago, the shop owner refused to sell him one.
“I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Really? Anything happens to you and they’re going to come to me, so I’m not going to sell to you,” Bolt recounted in a recent interview with NBC.
It was another reminder that, these days, he is more than a mere celebrity in Jamaica, where track and field “is a way of life,” as Mills puts it. A national treasure is more like it. Bolt gave much of the credit for his 2008 renaissance to his willingness to act the part, to stop the partying, which he conceded could be over the top, and spend more time in the gym.
“He is quite aware of what it takes to be a champion and what is needed for him to maintain the high level of performance,” Mills said. “It’s not difficult to get him to focus on his preparation and to do the kind of training that’s required.”
Mills insists Bolt will be in peak condition when he returns for this week’s meet.
He showed no signs of injury during a relay on April 12, when he anchored his team to a victory at the University of Technology Classic in Kingston.
But as is the case with any athlete who’s on his way to becoming a legend, many myths develop. One of them was that he hurt himself during a charity soccer game earlier this year.
