- Title: 'Unbeatable' - Usain Bolt on his legacy and future
- Date: 2nd August 2017
- Summary: WIDE OF FORMER HURDLER, COLIN JACKSON, INTERVIEWING BOLT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT HOW HE WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED: "Unbeatable, you know what I mean? Usain Bolt has retired unbeatable over an individual event." JACKSON: "Because you still have the relay right?" BOLT: "Yeah (laughs). I still relay, but relays you never know. That for me would be the headline, hopefully. That would be the biggest headline. Unbeatable. Unstoppable." VARIOUS OF BOLT DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT HOW HE WILL COPE WITH RETIREMENT: "Wow. Yeah, it's going to be hard because track and field is everything for me. I've been doing this since I was ten years old. So, it's something I've been enjoying over the years. It's been just a rush as you said. I don't know what I'm going to do. This is why I wanted to play football - get a different rush. We'll see where life takes me. You never know in which direction I might go. I might go into acting and do some action movies and that'll give me a rush. So, you never know." VARIOUS OF MEDIA JACKSON AND BOLT DURING INTERVIEW CLOSE OF BOLT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT DOPING IN ATHLETICS: "For me, you can't be happy about doping at all, you know what I mean? It's not for the sport but as I said over the years I think we're doing a better job. It's getting clean, we're catching up to a lot of athletes, so I think athletes now are understanding if you cheat you will get caught. So, I think over time sports will get better and I said a couple of years ago it had to get really bad because I said when there's nowhere else to go but up. So, for me, the only way track and field has to go is up. And I think we're going to go in the right direction and doping is always a bad thing and it's never pleasant because as I said when you put in hard work and sports start going forward and you have other guys bringing it back then it's hard but it's going in the right direction now I think and hopefully it will keep going in that direction." WIDE OF MEDIA CLOSE OF PHOTOGRAPHER BOLT BEING INTERVIEWED BY JACKSON (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT WHAT HE MIGHT DO POST-RETIREMENT: "For me, I think I've always said, I've always expressed that when they're having discussion with Mr. (Sebastian) Coe and so one thing I like to do is travel around and try to inspire kids and talk to a lot of different people like coaches, younger kids, just to try and inspire them as much as possible know what I mean? Try to explain to them what I've been through through my career and help them in different ways and motivate them. So, for me, if I could do that that would be something good. Travel to all corners of the world and try to motivate and to help other people get into the sport." VARIOUS OF JACKSON INTERVIEWING BOLT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT DOPING IN SPORT: "Personally I think it was there, you know what I mean? After the scandal on Russia I don't think it gets any worse than that and I think it's on its way back up now and for me there's no way but up you can go and forward. So, hopefully athletes will see what's going on in the sports and if they don't stop what they're doing then the sports will die so hopefully understand what the sports is going to show and what they need to do as athletes to help the sport move forward." MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHER WEARING JAMAICA SHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT WHETHER HE THINKS HE'LL SEE HIS RECORDS BROKEN: "No athlete will ever wish their world record will ever be broken in their lifetime. I don't want to see it go. I want to brag to my kids when they're 15 or 20 and say, see I'm the best. So, hopefully not." WIDE OF JACKSON INTERVIEWING BOLT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT UPCOMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE IN LONDON: "I'm ready. I'm always ready. I'm always excited when I get to a Championship. I'm finally here now. I'm finally going to be in the village and get that hype and get that feeling. So, I'm excited, you know what I mean? I'm really excited about this and I'm looking forward to it, you know what I mean? I'm, for some reason again, the underdog for some reason." JACKSON: "Who says you're the underdog?" BOLT: "That's what I keep reading and that's what my team keeps telling me so I got to prove myself once more (laughs)." SIGN READING (English): "FOREVER FASTEST" / BOLT BEING INTERVIEWED ONSTAGE BY JACKSON (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINTER, USAIN BOLT, SAYING ABOUT WANTING A SOCCER CAREER: "Everybody knows that I'm always talking about football." JACKSON: "Football?" BOLT: "Yeah, for sure." JACKSON: "The transfer window is still open." BOLT: "Still open. I'm waiting on a call from (Jose) Mourinho. He's taking forever. I think he's waiting until the last day (of the transfer window)." JACKSON: "The last day?" BOLT: "Yeah, I think that's what he's waiting on." JACKSON "Okay, fair enough."
- Embargoed: 16th August 2017 09:19
- Keywords: Usain Bolt sprint London World Championships athletics running run 100 metres
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Athletics,Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0026SBSZ7J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt said he wants to be remembered as the man who was 'unbeatable' and 'unstoppable' after he retires following the upcoming IAAF World Championships in London.
The 30 year-old was speaking at a press event on Tuesday (August 1) where he also revealed his post-retirement plans.
Bolt said it will be hard to move on and no longer have the 'rush' of competition but he added that he plans on remaining in the sport by flying all over the world to inspire young athletes.
The Jamaican also joked he could take up a football career and is waiting for Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to sign him up.
Bolt has completed the sprint double at the last three Olympics and had he not been disqualified ahead of the 100 meters final at Daegu in 2011, the 30-year-old could have matched that feat at the last four world championships.
In an era blighted by doping scandals, the Jamaican has almost single-handedly kept the sport afloat but his commanding reign will come to an end when he retires after next month's world championships, finally allowing other sprinters a look-in.
In the simple matter of who will take his place at the top of the 100 meters podium either at or after London, Canada's Olympic sprint medalist Andre de Grasse appears to be just ahead of the pack as the leading candidate. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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