Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt did not compete at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. While the fans missed Bolt on the field, Usain also missed running the field against time.
However, the Olympic legend watched his nation and other players compete on the TV screen. Watching the matches makes many fans nervous. Interestingly, Usain Bolt is also part of the nervous group.
“It was tough”- Usain Bolt on watching fellow Jamaican compete
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At Tokyo Olympics 2020, team Jamaica clinched nine medals in athletics. Out of the nine medals, seven medals came from the women athletes. The performance of the Jamaican men was not up to the mark, as they just had two podium finishes.
Their medal tally was less than their 11 medal wins in Rio 2016. On the Dan Patrick Show, the Olympic legend talked about how it felt to watch his nation’s men not doing their best.
Bolt said, “It was tough to see, especially because my fellow Jamaicans like male sprinters weren’t doing well. So for me, it was really tough to watch and sit at home and not be able to say something or talk to them or anything, so it was pretty rough.”
After being on the field for so long, Usain Bolt knows how to compete under pressure. Not being in Tokyo must have been tough for him after so many years of competing. While he has retired, he sure would have wanted to be there and help his fellow athletes.
Watching matches makes Usain more nervous than when he competes
Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps was at Tokyo Olympics 2020. Phelps attended the swimming events and also talked about his heartbeat going up while watching athletes compete.
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Handling the pressure while competing can be managed by the athletes. However, the nervousness of watching fellow players compete is different. Usain Bolt addressed himself as a nervous wreck while watching the races.
” I get very nervous; I’m a nervous wreck when I watch people compete. When I’m competing, I’m fine. Even when I watched the 100-meter finals, I didn’t – I wasn’t supporting anybody really, but I was still nervous watching it. You know I mean, so for me, I can’t like watching competitions is rough for me, but when I compete, it’s fine,” said Usain Bolt.
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While many Olympic legends have retired, they still don’t want to miss out on the matches. Their guidance and support pump up junior athletes to put out their best on international grounds.
Also read: ?Please Stay! We Need You? ? Olympic Legend Usain Bolt Pleads Aaron Rodgers to Stay at Green Bay