Sprinting superstar Usain Bolt said Thursday he
is “definitely reconsi-dering” the plans he stated
earlier in September of retiring after the 2016
Olympics. According to Thursday’s Associated Press
report, the 27-year-old Bolt, a six-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record
holder at 100 and 200 meters, said he might
change his mind after listening more to his fans
and sponsors. He said his coach believes he can
continue competing at a high level, adding that
it’s now ”on the cards” to compete for another year after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I am definitely reconsidering. I think my fans
especially have really voiced their concern
about me retiring. They think I should carry on
and so do my sponsors. I have discussed it with
my coach and he says it is possible. We will see
what happens. But it’s on the cards that I will extend it by one more year.” With the new potential timeline, Bolt would
possibly retire after the 2017 world
championships in London. He’s also thinking
about running in the 2014 Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow, but the 2020 Olympics in
Tokyo are not something he’s considering at this point, in part because, he said, if he wins
gold in Rio, he will have done everything he
envisioned for his career: “It’s a long way away, but if I win the next
Olympics I will have done everything I wanted
to do in my career. So there would be no reason
to continue.” At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt won the
100, 200 and 4×100-meter relay. He then
repeated the feat at last summer’s London
Games. Bolt is currently in London to promote his
autobiography, Faster Than Lightning.
is “definitely reconsi-dering” the plans he stated
earlier in September of retiring after the 2016
Olympics. According to Thursday’s Associated Press
report, the 27-year-old Bolt, a six-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record
holder at 100 and 200 meters, said he might
change his mind after listening more to his fans
and sponsors. He said his coach believes he can
continue competing at a high level, adding that
it’s now ”on the cards” to compete for another year after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I am definitely reconsidering. I think my fans
especially have really voiced their concern
about me retiring. They think I should carry on
and so do my sponsors. I have discussed it with
my coach and he says it is possible. We will see
what happens. But it’s on the cards that I will extend it by one more year.” With the new potential timeline, Bolt would
possibly retire after the 2017 world
championships in London. He’s also thinking
about running in the 2014 Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow, but the 2020 Olympics in
Tokyo are not something he’s considering at this point, in part because, he said, if he wins
gold in Rio, he will have done everything he
envisioned for his career: “It’s a long way away, but if I win the next
Olympics I will have done everything I wanted
to do in my career. So there would be no reason
to continue.” At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt won the
100, 200 and 4×100-meter relay. He then
repeated the feat at last summer’s London
Games. Bolt is currently in London to promote his
autobiography, Faster Than Lightning.
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