‘I Just Moved On’- Usain Bolt Says He was Offered ‘Big Cheques’ to Compete Again

When we think of legendary athletes, we think of names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. However, none of them reached the levels of Usain Bolt. From 2008 to 2016, Bolt wasn’t just undefeated but held the moniker of the fastest man alive.

What are the odds of Usain Bolt racing again?

When we come to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2021, Usain Bolt is amongst the many legendary names we’ll miss. Along with him is the most decorated Olympian of all time Michael Phelps, tennis superstar Rafael Nadal and Brazilian soccer star Neymar.

Although he’s retired, Bolt confessed to receiving offers to stay in the sport and continue taking part. However, he clarified that he’s achieved everything he wanted to and is satisfied. He further clarified his current stance on whether he’ll race again on an Instagram live session with Ashlee Tulloch.

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“I’ve been to training a few times with coach, and every time I train it just reminds me that oh my god this was so hard. Brings back memories but just reminded me like listen, this is such a hard time but it was fun just seeing athletes and just hanging out, you know what I mean.”

“Those days have passed, you know what I mean. I was offered, as you said, big cheques when I was retiring, to stay in the sport, but for me, I always say if you’ve done everything you’ve wanted to do, you should just go. You know what I mean, I’ve conquered, I’ve done what I wanted to do, so I just moved on cause it was time.”

Legendary athletes who won’t make it to the Olympics

Alongside Usain Bolt, a plethora of top athletes won’t make it to the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Some cited COVID-19 safety concerns while some opted to skip the Games to prepare for future tournaments. Some legendary players went into retirement soon after the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Two legends who competed in their last Olympics in Rio were Michael Phelps and Bolt. While Bolt did a legendary three-peat, Phelps couldn’t clinch the gold medal in the 100m butterfly event. He lost to Singapore’s Joseph Schooling. Another legend who competed in his last Olympics in Rio was Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan.

Active athletes who can’t make it to the Tokyo Olympics include Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and current fastest man in the world, Chris Coleman.

Read more: ?It?s Not Gonna Happen?- Usain Bolt Doesn?t Plan on Having a Fourth Kid