Usain Bolt explains how he silenced the media about the drug test question by pointing at his unmatched consistency.
Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt is a man whose glittering career was marked by consistency that surprised not only his rivals but stakeholders too.
Bolt became a subject of drug test questions from the media in 2013 following the news that his fiercest rivals Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay failed drug tests.
Three-time Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt recorded one of his slowest time at the 2016 Olympics explains why explains why it wasn’t his best performance.
Asafa Powell, then 31, tested positive for the stimulant oxilophrine while Gay, who is the second fastest man in history behind Bolt after running the 100m in 9.69 seconds in 2009, tested positive for banned anabolic steroids and was banned for one year by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after co-operating with the organisation.
After the news broke that Gay and Powell – two of the four fastest men in history – had failed drugs tests, one question could not be ignored: if they couldn’t do it legitimately, how can anyone be sure that Usain Bolt can?
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Usain Bolt has reflected on overcoming fear and intense pressure during pivotal moments in his career.
Bolt, in a bid to set the records straight, told TalkSport that he was clean and that his consistency was further proof that his success was hard-earned. “I’m pleased you asked me this. Because I was planning to explain to people. How long have you been following Usain Bolt?” the Three-time Olympic 100m champion said.
“Since 2007, 2008? Well, if you were following me since 2002, you’d know that I’ve been doing phenomenal things since I was 15. I was the youngest person to win the world juniors at 15; I ran the world junior record (for 200m) in 19.93s at 18; world youth record at 16. I’ve broken every record there is to break, so I’ve proven myself since I was 15,” Bolt maintained.
Bolt admitted that he wasn’t at his best in 2013 and his agent challenged him to step up. “As my agent would say, I’m underperforming right now – so I need to step it up. But I’ve shown throughout the years that I was always going to be great, so that’s all I have to say.”
Bolt retired in 2017 as an accomplished Olympic eighth-time gold medallist. Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016). He also won two 4×100 relay gold medals.
He gained worldwide fame for his double sprint victory in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
