Usain Bolt has reflected on overcoming fear and intense pressure during pivotal moments in his career.
Many might think that the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt, has never been scared in his life but the truth is, he is just like any other human being and he sometimes struggles with some things.
The legendary Jamaican sprinter has opened up about one of the scariest moments in his career that shaped how he managed to handle pressure in all his events.
At the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, Usain Bolt disclosed that he had the pressure to deliver in front of a sold-out home stadium.
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Even before he began the race, Jamaican fans had already started chanting his name and he admitted that it was one of the most confusing moments in his life since he was also still very young.
The eight-time Olympic champion revealed that after winning the 200m title, the pressure eased off and he told himself that he could also win anywhere in the world if he could survive under such intense pressure.
“I think what helped me is that in 2002 I competed in front of my home crowd in Jamaica when I won the world juniors and for me, that was the roughest moment of my entire life,” Usain Bolt said in an interview with the Obi One podcast.
“Throughout my whole career, I have never been so nervous, never been so stressed, like I put the wrong shoe on the wrong foot because when I was coming through the tunnel there was another athlete, a female and her race was going before me.
“I remember walking out of the stadium and I could hear the shouting and I ran to see what was happening and she came second and I listened to the conversation and they were shouting my name.”
Speaking about his false start at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Usain Bolt revealed that a lot had happened since the start of the season and he was not himself going into the event.
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He had a slight discomfort that could not allow him to train and for so long, the doctor had failed to realise what was bothering him.
Usain Bolt revealed that by the time it was confirmed that he was indeed unwell, the global showpiece was almost approaching and he had not trained effectively ahead of the event.
“So, when I was running, I didn’t feel the power and couldn’t figure out what was happening and it started worrying me because I wasn’t the same,” Usain Bolt revealed.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah has been a victim of injuries and at one point in her career, she felt like there was no need to keep trying.
“Later in the season, they finally figured out that it was an osteopath that was saying my uncles were locked and my knees so when he freed it up I was going to training and I was feeling much better but now it was late in the season.
“In my head, I wondered if I was ready because now, I wasn’t the same person and I could not get out of my head.”
