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The 38-year-old has revealed has he used the Greece heartbreak as a springboard to rule the track over 100m and 200m.
Considered the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt has revealed how his dismal performance in his first appearance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, challenged him to fully exploit his potential.
The three-time 100m Olympic champion was dealt a harsh lesson at the Athens Games after failing to make it out of the first round despite beaming with confidence heading into the quadrennial show.
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18:00 - 23.11.2024
'This isn’t the Jamaica I know’- Usain Bolt speaks out on Olympic disappointment and life beyond the track
Legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has revealed his Olympic heartbreak, a surprising retirement hobby and a quirky pre-race superstition.
Bolt was eliminated in the first round of the 200m but still impressed scouts, who offered him a scholarship to continue training in the United States. "Because of my talent, I was like,'I'm doing well. I did well at the Jamaican trials," Bolt told High Performance podcast.
"Then you get to the Olympics, you meet up with all these guys that have been training all year round and been dedicated to their craft. I didn't even make it out of the first round," he added.
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07:20 - 15.11.2024
'I did it for the people'- Usain Bolt on how fans affection influenced his decision to postpone retirement by one year
Decision to hang up spikes after becoming the first man to win three consecutive 100m and 200m Olympic gold medals backfired
The 11-time World champion said it was a wake-up call for him and he knew he had the talent to become a global sprinting icon.
"The top four would've made it to the next round, I came fifth. I did not make it, and for me, that was a little bit of a wake-up call to say, 'Listen, you have a long way to go.' If you can't make it out of the first round at the Olympics and there's three more rounds, that showed how far behind I was. I felt like I was really talented at the time."
Bolt went on to rule the track both in 100m and 200m and his medal tally to-date is unmatched. Bolt is a three-time Olympic 200m champion, reigning supreme in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
He boasts of only a single silver in 100m in his disappointing world championships 2017 in London that led to his retirement.
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