It’s past 7 pm, but the 21st floor suite of a Mumbai hotel hums with activity—journalists pace in and out, camera crew adjust frames and lenses, while sports managers weave through the crowd to tie the loose ends. Usain Bolt sits in the middle of it all, unhurried, poring over his phone and rising only occasionally to shake hands.
It belies the frenzy the Jamaican is known to have set off every time he hit the running tracks. Nearly a decade after his retirement (in 2017), Bolt’s 9.58-second dash over 100 metres still stands as the fastest time ever clocked by a human; so do his three world records: In 100 m, 200 m and 4x100m relay. He remains the most decorated sprinter in history with eight Olympic and 11 World Championship titles.
A superstar and showman—what with his signature Lightning Bolt celebration pose—such was his pull that, in 2013, Bolt was paid a whopping $300,000 appearance fee at the Diamond League event in Paris. “With Bolt, we know that we will easily fill the Stade de France,” meet director Laurent Boquillet had said back then. During his heyday, Bolt was the richest track and field athlete; he still remains one. Retirement may have slowed down his strides, but not his brand equity: Sponsors like Puma, who onboarded him during his career, continue to stand by him over eight years past his retirement.
In India as an ambassador for the German sportswear behemoth, Bolt, 39, sat down with Forbes India for a quick chat. Edited excerpts:
Q. It’s been nearly 10 years since retirement, what’s the world’s fastest human being up to these days?
A lot of sponsorship work, like I’m here with Puma. Then, there is charity work. Also, I have three kids now, so they keep me busy.
Q. Do the kids make you run?
No, not yet (laughs). They're still kind of slow.
Q. Do you ever run just for fun?
No no, nobody runs for fun unless it's long distances. And I was never a long-distance runner. I still try to work out as much as possible, though.
Q. In your career, you’ve won eight Olympic gold medals, multiple World Championships and you hold three world records. To you, what is your most precious achievement?
It's always the first one. Getting that first one [the 100 m gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics] meant a lot. When you come into athletics, you just want to win an Olympic gold. So, winning that first was a big deal for me.
Q. Do you miss the adrenaline rush of lining up at the start?
For sure. I do miss competing. I was at the World Championships [in Tokyo] in September and it was hard to just watch. I was really excited and happy [to be there], but it was tough to watch [from the sidelines].
Q. Since your retirement, while technology to help running has advanced by leaps and bounds, no one has broken your world record. Why?
Somebody recently asked that question to me and the only thing I can come up with is that our generation was a lot more talented. Or maybe we just worked a lot harder… I don’t know.
Q. Would you put your money on someone to beat your world record?
No [laughs].
Q. Can you talk us through the hard work, the sacrifices that have gone into your achievements?
That was a lot of dedication and sacrifice. We had to go through a lot of sweat and tears. For me it was tough, but it's something that I understood—that I had to do it if I wanted to be the best. That’s the first lesson my dad taught me before I left home. My dad was always saying, listen, if you want something, you have to work hard. And if you work hard, you will get whatever you want. And that stuck with me throughout my life. I've always just pushed through and tried to be the best that I can be.
There were a lot of days when the training got tough, and your body told you to stop. You have to push through those days and mentally tell yourself that this is what I want—to be the best—and to get that I have to put myself through this. That’s one of the reasons I did my documentary–I Am Bolt—to show behind the scenes, so that people can see exactly what it takes to become a champion.
Q. In sports, as in business, consistency and longevity are two key challenges. You’ve tackled them beautifully—your eight Olympic gold medals span across three editions of the Games. What did you do to stay ahead of the curve for such a long time?
It's all about consistency. Having a coach like mine [Glenn Mills], we were always locked in on what we wanted to do. I never worried about the last Olympics. We understood we were aiming for the [next] Olympics, but we took one year at a time. Every year, we set goals for ourselves and worked towards them. I made sure I was in good shape, I was healthy, I was getting good rest, and built up to being in the best possible shape of my life. And then it just came together over the years.
Also read: Sometimes, athletes have to be selfish: Sir Mo Farah
Q. The first Olympic medal is always easier because you are the challenger, and then you become the challenged…
I live for competition, so it was fun for me. Anytime someone showed up, I knew the competition was going to be tough, it drove me to train harder. It was great knowing these guys were out there and ready to compete. For me, it was easy to be the challenger, it was exciting to be the chased.
Q. Every time you hit the running tracks, there would be expectations of yet another record. How did you handle the constant pressure of expectations?
I understand that fans want to see greatness, so I tried to be as great as possible. But my expectation for myself has always been higher than any fan. I put so much pressure on myself because I knew my goal and what I was striving towards. I didn't want to make any mistakes and I didn’t listen to the outside noise. When I was on the track, I performed for my fans, but otherwise I used to tell myself to not listen to what was going on. There would always be someone saying something about me, but I’ve always tried to focus on myself.
Q. You always looked quite casual, relaxed at the starting line. Was it something that you were portraying or was that your natural state of mind?
That's just who I am. I learnt at an early age from my coach that when you get to the line you can’t be worried. You’ve already done the work and I was always confident in the work that I’ve put in. I knew that if I worked hard, I would be fine.
Q. Even so many years after your retirement, you continue to be a lucrative brand. Did you consciously craft your image?
Not at the start. You, kind of, just become your own person. And then, over time, you understand that image is everything. But I have to give it to my parents—they made it easy for me because I was just naturally a fun, relaxing, respectful person. So, I just stayed [true to] myself and it was fine.
How do I retain my brand appeal? I understand that I am a role model, so I try to live respectfully, I try to make sure I speak right, and I motivate [people].
Q. One of the key aspects of Brand Usain Bolt is your ‘Lightning Bolt’ pose. How did that come about?
It's just something that happened. A friend of mine and I were speaking about it and we said, you know what, I should create something. And that’s what I came up with [laughs].
Q. You’ve had a few entrepreneurial ventures that were a bit of a mixed bag. What lessons have you learnt from them?
For me, you have to try. In life, in track and field, you have to try and work hard. You will make mistakes. But you can never just give up, you know. If I like something, if I want to do something, I will take a chance. And that’s why you keep a team around that [as a sounding board] that says, yes, this sounds good, or maybe we shouldn’t do this.
Q. You're probably one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. But, to you, what is your legacy?
I want to be remembered as one of the greatest athletes, as you said, but also one of the best performers. I went out there all the time just to perform for people, not just to compete. So, I would love to be remembered as a great performer.
First Published: Oct 06, 2025, 11:29
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