“I don't think limits exist. The more you run, the more you realize that the only barrier is yourself.”
— Usain Bolt
Interview with The Guardian in 2013, after defending his three sprint titles at the World Championships in Moscow.
People said a man my height could not sprint. They said 196 centimeters was a biomechanical disadvantage. My stride was too long, my reaction time too slow. I ignored all of it. Every record I broke was a record someone said was the limit. There are no limits. There is only the line you draw for yourself.
“Worrying gets you nowhere. When you turn up on race day, the only thing you can control is yourself.”
— Usain Bolt
From his autobiography 'Faster than Lightning', published in 2013, describing his pre-race rituals.
Before Beijing 2008, I ate chicken nuggets for ten days straight because the hotel food scared me. I danced in the call room. My coach was furious. But when the gun went off, my legs did what they had trained to do. Anxiety is noise. Preparation is signal. I learned to trust the signal.
“There are better starters than me, but I'm a strong finisher and that is what counts in the end.”
— Usain Bolt
Post-race interview after winning the 100m at the 2012 London Olympics in 9.63, the Olympic record.
My start was always my weakness. In every 100-meter final, I was behind at 30 meters. But between 60 and 80 meters, no human alive could match what my legs produced. I won races in the second half. Life works the same way. It does not matter where you start. It matters where you finish.
