Usain Bolt reveals meal plan that helped him smash 100m world record at 2008 Beijing Olympics

Usain Bolt reveals meal plan that helped him smash 100m world record at 2008 Beijing Olympics

Evans Ousuru 18:45 - 23.12.2024

Usain Bolt broke world records in all his three specialties but the 2008 Olympics diet change was the beginning of his dominance on track.

Three-time Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt has revealed how a change in diet at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing played a crucial role in him setting a world record in his specialty.

The legendry Jamaican sprinter who also managed three Olympic 200m gold titles, was fueled by chicken nuggets because he thought Chinese food tasted odd.

In his autobiography, Faster than Lightning, Bolt wrote: “At first I ate a box of 20 for lunch, then another for dinner. The next day I had two boxes for breakfast, one for lunch and then another couple in the evening. I even grabbed some fries and an apple pie to go with it,” the 11-time world champion told TalkSport.

Bolt estimated he ate 1,000 of McDonald’s chicken nuggets during the Beijing Olympics. It was an even more impressive feat considering he did it with his shoelaces untied! Bolt finished so clear of his competitors that he pumped his chest while crossing the finishing line and had he not done that, a better final time would have been recorded.

The 38-year-old made history a year later when he set another record in the men’s 100m with a time of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships. He also won two 4x100m relay golds and holds the world record in all three disciplines.

Bolt retired from athletics after the 2017 World Championships, where he won bronze in his final solo 100m race but then pulled up in his last ever contest in the 4x100m relay final.

After refusing a wheelchair, he hobbled across the finish line alongside his teammates - but, despite his legendary career ending in heartbreak, Bolt will go down as one of the track's greatest ever competitors.