IAAF World Championships: Usain Bolt as seen by Michael Johnson, Roger Federer, Tom Brady and more
Usain Bolt will bring his phenomenal career to a close at the 2017 IAAF World Championships.
The Jamaican sprinter, an eight-time Olympic champion and 11-time world title winner, will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest sportspeople of all time.
Bolt possesses a charm that has endeared him to fans across the globe, who have watched in awe as he broke new ground on the track with world records in the 100 metres, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Those achievements have also provided a source of inspiration for elite athletes such as Roger Federer and Tom Brady, and we take a look at some of those who have paid tribute to the world’s fastest man over the years.
UNBELIEVABLE
Michael Johnson was full of superlatives after Bolt set the world record in the 200m at the 2009 world championships with a time of 19.19 seconds.
He said on the BBC: “Usain Bolt doesn’t run with technique, he doesn’t care about technique. He can afford to do that because he gets so much more. Unbelievable. I think he’s capable of running under 19 seconds, as crazy as that sounds.”
SPORTING LEGEND
After becoming the first man to win Wimbledon for the eighth time, 35-year-old tennis superstar Federer revealed in a BBC Sport interview that the sprinter is a source of inspiration for him.
“I would get inspired in a big way by the likes of Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Valentino Rossi or Michael Schumacher. Guys who did things for a very long time at the highest of levels. I feel it’s been really important in my life to have inspiring figures wherever I look and I take it mostly from sporting legends.”
GREATEST OF ALL TRACKS
LeBron James, three-time NBA champion and 13-time All-Star, could not contain himself after seeing Bolt use his “Silencer” celebration, having taken Olympic gold in the 200m at Rio 2016.
He wrote on Instagram: “Huge S/O [shout out] to the homie Usain Bolt aka ‘The Cheetah’ aka G.O.A.T (Greatest of all Tracks) hitting them with #TheSilencer after that 200m. Congrats on your unbelievable Olympic journey throughout the years.”
HE IS PHENOMENAL
Alex Ferguson entertained avid Manchester United fan Bolt at their Carrington training base on a number of occasions, but the admiration went both ways.
“He’s the fastest man in the world and the others would have to have taken half a second off their running to beat him. He is phenomenal,” Ferguson told Inside United of Bolt’s performance at London 2012.
I’D LOVE TO BE LIKE BOLT
At 39 years old, pace is an attribute iconic New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady does not possess, and that has led to some envy from the owner of five Super Bowl rings.
“I’ve always been the slowest guy on the team, so I’d love to be like Usain Bolt,” Brady told New York Magazine. “I’d love to be the fastest guy on the planet.”
HE LOOKS LIKE A HORSE
Michael Phelps is the most successful Olympian of all time with 23 gold medals over a stellar career in the pool. He recalled some interesting memories regarding his first encounter with Bolt in an interview with Olympic Talk: “Obviously, it’s cool watching somebody like him and watching what he does. Then you see him up close and personal. His legs are massive. He looks like a horse. So tall.”
LEGEND
With over 10,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket, Chris Gayle is a master with the bat. The West Indies star explained Bolt’s impact to his Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore.
“He’s a champion, world champion, legend, you name it. The sport will definitely miss it because he actually brought back the sport to life. I’m really happy to see a Jamaican who put the sport back on the map.”
THE ALI OF ATHLETICS
IAAF president Sebastian Coe has spoken openly about the void Bolt’s retirement will leave in the athletics, comparing him to a legendary boxer.
“The Muhammad Ali of athletics is on his way to an Olympic Stadium near you. It just reinforced for me how fantastic it could be to have Bolt there. There really is an Ali-like aura about this guy that is now transcending all sports,” Coe wrote in The Telegraph.
