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While Bolt himself doesn't subscribe to any superstitions, the world's fastest man admits one pre-race ritual he did that was oblivious to him until the twilight of his career.
Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the fastest man in history, recently revealed a curious superstition that went unnoticed throughout most of his illustrious career.
Despite not actively engaging in pre-race rituals, Bolt realized late in his career that he had subconsciously followed a routine tied to his hair.
Bolt revealed that he noticed he would grow unknowingly grow his hair out for World Championships but cut it for the Olympics.
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'Was I disrespectful?' – Usain Bolt addresses celebration backlash during his Olympic dominance
Bolt has recounted feeling nervous before his historic 2008 Olympics despite breaking the 100m world record months earlier.
"I think at the end of my career I picked up on something that I did that I didn't notice," Bolt shared in an episode of The Jonathan Ross Show.
"For every World Championships, I would grow my hair out, but at the Olympics, I would cut it."
The realization struck Bolt during the 2016 Rio Olympics when a friend advised him to break the tradition.
"One of my friends said, 'Are you going to cut your hair? I feel like you shouldn't,'" Bolt recalled.
"And I said, 'I'm not going to chance it.' I wasn’t going to take the risk, so I cut my hair."
That decision may have been symbolic, but it coincided with one of the most glorious moments of his career.
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12:30 - 28.11.2024
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The Jamaican tried his luck in football but could not secure a professional contract even after training with clubs like Borussia Dortmund
Bolt swept triple gold for the second time in his career at the Rio Olympics, winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, a feat that cemented his legendary status before he retired in 2017.
Reflecting on this subtle superstition, Bolt added, "At the start, I didn’t even notice it. It’s just at the end that I realized it had become a thing."
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