By Ameya Bhise,News18,Vivek Ganapathy

Copyright news18

Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet, who holds multiple records on the track and helped alter the consumption and landscape of athletics featured in an EXCLUSIVE with CNN News 18 as he opened up on a variety of topics ranging from his beginnings to a possible improvement on his record, which he feels is still a long time coming.
When quizzed if he thought that his 100m record of 9.58 sec, set at the Berlin World Championships in 2009, was in danger of being bettered in the near future, the Jamaican felt rather reassured that his best effort would stand for a bit longer.
“A lot more people are showing promise over the 200m, I think,” Bolt said.
“But my 100m record, I think it will stand for a long while. I mean, when they start running 9.60 sec, we can think about it, but now we’re okay,” he added.
The 39-year-old redefined sport at the very top level and handled the pressure that accompanied his astronomical achievements with aplomb. When asked what the key to navigating immense pressure was, Bolt stated that the desire and hunger from within was the crucial factor.
“I’ve explained to people that I wanted it more than everybody else,” the sprint icon said.
“Yes, they wanted it from me, but I put more pressure on myself than anyone,” he divulged.
“At a young age, I told myself what I wanted to do for Jamaica, and that’s what people talk about and that’s where the pressure comes from,” he reflected.
“But the more I grew, I felt I want to do thiss for myself, and then I started ignoring what people were saying because I wanted it more than they wanted it for me. So it became a lot more easier. I knew I had to train, I had to work hard,” Bolt explained.
When asked what excited him with the fast-moving world of contemporary sprint, Bolt cited the level of competition and athletes egging each other on constituted a beauty that only athletics can throw up.
“For me it is always the competition. I love it when eight people line up and around six people have the chance to win it. That for me is where the excitement comes from. I love watching it and watching it is a lot more stressful than when I was competing,” he stated.
Bolt, who has become synonymous with sporting superbrand Puma due to their long and successful association for decades now, also opened up on how the German manufacturer aided him on his journey to the pinnacle of the sport.
“For me it is working with people. I’ve been with Puma all my life, and we have really evolved along with the spikes world and tried to ensure the spikes I wear are the best spikes for me,” he said.
“Because when we started I was a lot more taller and heavier so they did not have a spike specifically for me, but they custom built a plate for me. So over time, Puma really came through for me, and helped me achieve my potential,” Bolt added.
Despite boating a CV of records that stand head and shoulders above the field, Bolt stated that his coach always feels that, “the world hasn’t seen the best of me. I guess there’s a lot more I could have tapped into.”
He also touched up on the time he saw Indian athletes train, which brought a smile to the face of athletics’ pin-up boy for years.
“I saw some young athletes run in India and a lot of them were doing different things. I mean, it made me smile to see the youngsters really showing their personality. They’re having a good time and enjoying the sports itself,” he added.
Bolt, who has interests spanning beyond the confines of a track, also revealed that it was his cricket coach who had introduced him to the sport of running back in the day.
“I was young and I was really good at it. My cricket coach introduced me to running and I just was very talented, so I just continued. So that’s what really started,” he reminisced.
He also spoked about the domination of cricket in the peninsular nation and the way forward for the rest of the sports citing perspective as the most crucial factor in the proliferation of sports.
“Well, yeah, I think it’s all about the perspective. I think in Jamaica it was the same way. Football and cricket were bigger because of all the earliest stars and Jamaica went to the World Cup. So I don’t think over time if the athletes do start doing well, then it will naturally become bigger in the country,” he added.
Bolt also spared time to answer some rapid fire questions, including:
100m or 200m – “200 was my favourite..”
All time favoUrite sporting hero – “Muhammed Ali.”
Favourite cricketer from India- “Sachin Tendulkar for sure.”
Faster or the dance floor, Gayle or Bolt- “We’re both good at it, but I’d say me.”
What excitedd you the most, gold medals or world records – “Gold Medal”
One Indian food you’d love to try -“Lamb curry, tried it and I loved it.”
One sprinter that reminds him of his younger self – “Leslie Tebogo.”
A nickname you’d give yourself, besides ‘lightining bolt’ – “I’ve never thought about it, maybe Speed bolt,”