The star of PSG, Kylian Mbappe, has accepted an Olympic 100-meter sprint challenge from Usain Bolt, although he believes he has “no chance” of defeating the Jamaican legend.
Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, recently suggested that World Cup winner Mbappe and himself compete in a charity race. He also expressed his admiration to Mbappe, who is expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid this summer.
Kylan’s response
At an event organized by his foundation, Mbappe responded to the surprising invitation by saying: “Knowing that I inspire someone like that is really gratifying. I think he inspired everyone a little bit too and every one of you in this room has gotten up in the middle of the night to watch one of his races. It’s mutual! But I started admiring him first.”
He then added that even though he agreed to the 100m challenge, he had no chance of winning against the Olympic champion. With a time of 9.58 seconds, Bolt continues to hold the world record for the 100 meters, while Mbappe’s time is estimated to be 10.9 seconds.
After declaring retirement from athletics in 2017, Bolt explored the wonders of football, playing for a while with the Central Coast Mariners of Australia. Even though he is 37 years old, he should still be able to defeat Mbappe in an exhibition race if one is organized.
Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist, has now held the 100-meter sprint world record for the longest period in the competition’s history: 14 years, 8 months, and 22 days.
He established this record on August 16, 2009, in the final of the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin with a time of 9.58 seconds. This outcome was faster than the previous record held by American Jim Hines.
In an interview, Bolt, who is currently retired from competitive track and field, said he was “not worried” that his records in the 100- and 200-meter sprints would fall any time soon.
Bolt on his record
His 100-meter and 200-meter world records, which he achieved in 2009 at the World Championships, were 9.58 and 19.19 seconds. Admittedly, Bolt expressed that he still enjoys the title of being the fastest man ever. He said in a World Athletics interview: “It’s a great title to have… It’s something that I enjoy hearing and I enjoy knowing.”
After setting the 100-meter record in May 2008, Bolt broke the record twice —in August 2008 and in Berlin exactly a year later, with a record time of 9.58.
In recent news, Bolt suggested that World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe and himself compete in a charity race. He also expressed his admiration to the football player. After declaring retirement from athletics in 2017, Bolt explored the wonders of football, playing for a while with the Central Coast Mariners of Australia. Read more here.
As the Paris 2024 Games draw near, Usain Bolt is still sure that his 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning 100-meter sprint record will endure over time. As far as preserving his legacy in the sport is concerned, the legendary Jamaican sprinter feels that his unmatched accomplishment is unlikely to be topped anytime soon.
At the 2009 World Championships, Usain Bolt famously broke the 100-metre world mark by cutting his pace from 9.69 seconds to 9.58 seconds.
Bolt is still optimistic that his record will hold for some time. The 37-year-old stated in an interview with talkSPORT Drive that he doesn’t think anyone will match his accomplishments soon.
“I’ve not yet seen the talent to get there,” Bolt told talksport.com, giving an interview ahead of Soccer Aid on June 9 at Stamford Bridge, London, where he will be part of the World XI team playing against an England XI.
A new generation is watching Bolt’s record before Paris 2024
Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake, who ran an amazing 9.69 seconds in 2009 and 2012, respectively, have come closest to breaking Usain Bolt’s storied 100-metre record. Marcel Jacobs thrilled the Tokyo 2020 Olympics track by winning the gold medal in an incredible time of 9.80 seconds. But Bolt’s record still stands.
A new generation of stars is keen to beat the record set by the famous Usain Bolt as the world turns its attention to Paris 2024 this summer. The current world champion sprinter from America, Noah Lyles, is leading the effort. He has publicly stated his goal to surpass Bolt by taking home four gold medals in a single Olympic Games.
Commenting on Lyles, Bolt said: “The other guys are afraid of him and are entering the room. Not that he’s worried. He declared, “I’m going to beat you.” That being said, the other guys are concerned.”
“He’s good, but not quite that good at this level yet. Over time, I believe he will improve. It is, therefore, absurd that he is suddenly winning.” Bolt told talksport.com
About himself, he said: “I felt my coach was insane when he initially told me. I’m not like that; I never trained at full capacity all year round. I needed to take pauses, enjoy myself, and then get back to track and field. Though my coach detested it, he recognized that I was a human being and needed time off. In the end, we were able to come to an arrangement that let me balance the demands of the sport with my desire for rest.”
Mario Ross, a 14-year-old track and field prodigy from Wolmer’s High School, has stunned the sporting world by shattering Kylian Mbappé’s 100-meter record, marking a historic upset in sprinting.
Ross’s exceptional talent and dedication have catapulted him into the limelight, sparking discussions about his potential Olympic contention. His lightning-fast start and unparalleled speed at the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships have solidified his status as a rising star.
Despite his young age, Ross’s remarkable performances continue to captivate fans and experts alike, positioning him as a beacon of inspiration and a force to be reckoned with in the world of athletics.
Cover Photo: Wikipedia
Olympic legend Usain Bolt has a chance to come out of retirement, but coach won’t let him
After an incredible and record-breaking career in track and field, Usain Bolt is widely considered the best sprinter of all time. With a time of 9.58 seconds, established at the 2009 World Championships, Bolt continues to hold the record for the fastest 100-metre sprint. He also won eight Olympic gold medals.
With all his hard-earned success, he announced his retirement after suffering a hamstring injury near the conclusion of the 4×100-metre relay at the World Championships in 2017.
The chance to make his comeback
In a news report by talkSPORT, Bolt admitted that he was given the chance to get back on the track despite his retirement.
When Andy Goldstein asked if he had ever received a sizable payment to race once more, he said: “Yeah definitely. I think the CEO at the time, he’s with Adidas now, but at the time he was like, ‘Listen, we’ll give you a proper contract if you want to come back.’”
However, his coach did not agree with him coming back. Bolt added: “I talked to my coach [Glen Mills], my coach was like, ‘Absolutely not’. It was like two years after I retired, but my coach told me, ‘Listen, if you’re going to retire, that’s it. I’m not going to coach you again, this is it. There’s no coming back after this.’”
Bolt further explained: “So when I went to him he was like, ‘No, absolutely not.’ I was like, ‘You know what? I would do it,’ because when you go away from a sport, then you start missing it… So I’m like, ‘I think I might get into it again,’ and I went to [my coach] and he was like, ‘Nah,’ shut it down real quick.”
The athlete declared that he misses taking part in competitions. He stated: “I miss the competition… When I sit and watch the World Championships or the Olympics now, your blood starts to boil, you just want to be out there.”
Regardless of all these sentiments, Bolt is unlikely to come out of retirement and return to the field anytime soon.
Recently, Bolt revealed that he ruptured his Achilles. Bolt was leading the World XI at Stamford Bridge when he suffered a serious injury in the second half at Soccer Aid on Sunday (June 10).
Noah Lyles isn’t the fastest sprinter off the block. Three of his competitors set off faster than him, and yet he came from behind to win the 100 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (Watch on YouTube) And he won not only the 100 metres but more, repeating a feat only achieved before by the great Usain Bolt.
The American Lyles won only the 200-metre bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, but at 26, he is a six-time world champion. He won the 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres at the 2019 World Championships, the 200 metres at the 2022 World Championships, and the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100-metre events at the 2023 World Championships, becoming the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to complete the sprint treble at a World Championships.
And now he wants to go one-up on Bolt. He wants to win four gold medals at Paris 2024 – a feat that eluded even Bolt.
The Olympic great Bolt landed a sprint triple at London 2012 and Rio 2016, but not more.
Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen won four golds in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 80-metre hurdles and 4×100 metres in London in 1948, but she is a glorious exception.
Now, Lyles wants to be the first man to do so.
“Why four?” Lyles told The Times. “Well, there have been multiple doubles, not a lot, but there have been plenty.
“I can grab three, but Bolt has done that. I can do two Olympics in a row, but Bolt has done that too.”
He is chasing greatness.
“What’s left on the table that could put me on my Mount Rushmore, make people say, ‘Not only was he great, but he did something that hasn’t been done’?
He wants to participate in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100-metre relays as well as the 4×400-metre relay. He participated in the latter at the world indoor championships in Glasgow on March 3 this year, helping the US win silver in the relay.
However, that did not go down too well.
“A lot of people in the US were very, very, very upset that I ran the 4×4,” Lyles said.
But what does Bolt think of Lyles wanting to outdo him?
What Bolt says
Bolt hugged Lyles when they met after Lyles won the 200 metres at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica, in June last year.
Bolt embraced the American and said to him, “Keep your same attitude. The sport needs that … We need personality.”
In a podcast, track and field site, Citius Mag asked Bolt to comment on young track stars like Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo and Erriyon Knighton.
Bolt said: “ I think the guys are really doing well. It’s really intense, I must say. It’s not going to be easy. I feel like Noah feels like it’s easy running both events. It was never easy. I’ve said it and I’ve always said that it’s not easy running back-to-back events and then going out to break the world record because your body runs out of energy. I think the possibility is there because he came close at the (2022) World Championships. I think if he corrects a few things, I won’t say, he could get better. The possibility is there.”
Citius asked: “You won’t say?”
Bolt laughed and replied: “I won’t tell you how to break the world record.”
