Usain “Lightening” Bolt has advised athletes to stay away from drugs and compete fairly in order to save the sport.
The 30-year-old legend spoke at a sport event in London, where he took a swipe at dopers.
Image: Usain Bolt
In his farewell message at the Bolt Show, Usain capped his “triple-triple” with some words of wisdom to consolidate the unshakable foundation he laid with support from his sponsors.
“Stop doping or the sport will die,” said the 9-time Olympic champion said bluntly.
“You can’t be happy about doping at all, it’s not good for the sport,” he added. “But over the years we’re doing a better job, it’s getting clean and we’re catching up to a lot of athletes. There’s an understanding that, listen, if you cheat you will get caught. Over time the sport will get better.”
Apart from enjoying some good laughs with celebs such as Samuel L. Jackson, Henry Thiery, Idris Elba, Cara Delevingne and many others at the event, Usain answered questions about Russia’s recurring ban for state-sponsored doping.
“I said a couple of years ago it had to get really bad, where there’s nowhere else to go but up,” the serial champion added in his statements.
“Personally I think it hit rock bottom with the Russia scandal. I don’t think it gets any worse than that.
“But athletes must understand that if they don’t stop what they’re doing the sport will die.”
The world’s fastest man recently lost a close friend Germaine Mason, the British Olympic high jumper who died last April.
Mason won an Olympic silver medal at the 2008 competitions. He died in a late-night motor bike accident in Jamaica.
“It was a rough time,” Usain said of the loss and his four-month mourning period.
“I have never had someone who passed away so close to me. It set me back a little bit and I didn’t train for three weeks.”
Asked about his plans to finish off his legacy in Britain on Sunday, he said: “Unbeatable and unstoppable. That will be the headline after the 100 metres. Usain Bolt has retired unbeatable over that event.
“What if I lose? We won’t have that problem, don’t worry about it.”
The Jamaican sprint champion will turn 31 on 21 August. His last race will be in honor of his departed friend and the family he left behind.
On his sporting legacy, prior to the final Olympic event on 9 August, 2016 Usain wished to be among legends such as Muhammad Ali and Pelé.
Image: Usain Bolt
“Somebody said I can become immortal. Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal,” he said at Rio 2016.
Usain loves cricket, football and bowling. He loves music too, and even played as a reggae DJ in France. His favorite football fan is Ruud van Nistelrooy.
If the Jamaican ever made it as a professional footballer, it’d have been for Manchester United.
One thought on “Usian Bolt Warns Athletes Against Doping”