The 100m race appears not to have any favorites at the upcoming Paris Olympic games, and Bolt has given his prediction as to who will win the Olympics.
Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt has shared his insights on who might emerge as the favorites for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in both the 100m and 200m events.
With a remarkable eight Olympic gold medals to his name, Bolt stands as the only sprinter to clinch Olympic titles in both the 100m and 200m at three consecutive games (2008, 2012, and 2016). Additionally, he secured two gold medals in the 4 × 100 relay.
Bolt gained global recognition for his extraordinary double sprint triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he set world record times in both events, becoming the first person to achieve this feat since fully automatic timekeeping became mandatory.
When asked about his predictions for the 100m, Bolt didn’t hesitate. While he acknowledged US sprinter Noah Lyles as the favorite for the 200m, he viewed the 100m title as being up for grabs.
“No one has really run that fast this year, so it is really there for the taking, like it was last time [with Italy’s Marcel Jacobs unexpectedly winning in Tokyo 2020],” he explained to Esquireme.
The race has not had a clear favorite since he hang up his spikes in 2017. A number of sprinters have gone on to clinch world titles and Olympic games, but none have ever done it twice in a row.
Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Trayvon Bromell and Kenny Bednarek are some of the American runners with an eye on bringing the Olympic gold back to the country for the first time in 20 years.
More sprinters, such as Jackobs are in the running, while African trio of Ferdinand Omanyala, Akani Simbine and Letsile Tebogo also have an eye on making history.
As the Paris Olympics draw nearer, Bolt expects contenders for both the 100m and 200m to start emerging as the competition intensifies. “It will start to become clearer who the contenders are towards the end of June, as we get closer,” he predicts.
With the anticipation building for the Paris Olympics, all eyes are on the iconic sprinter as he prepares to attend the Games as a spectator for the first time in his remarkable career.
Reflecting on his unparalleled Olympic legacy, Bolt humorously admitted, “I’ve never watched a Championships before as a fan! Because I would run three events [100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay], I would be competing all throughout the Championships, so I never actually get to go to the stadium to watch the races or experience the atmosphere as a fan. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it.”
The prospect of witnessing Bolt, whose name is synonymous with Olympic greatness, finally taking a seat in the crowd adds an extra layer of excitement to the upcoming Games.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Obviously, I want to watch the 100m and 200m—the 200m being my favorite event, of course,” he shares eagerly.
