“My name is Bolt, Lightning Bolt.” Indeed, the aura created by Usain Bolt felt like the track and field realm experienced a bolt of lightning. Not only did Bolt rake up records throughout his career, but also provided significant entertainment to the fans. However, after his retirement, the dynamics slowly began to change. While there has been a surge of talented sprinters, none could dominate single-handedly like Bolt.

Meanwhile, with the rise of Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, Ferdinand Omanyala, Fred Kerley, etc., the hope of a sole dominating force has reignited. However, the Box-to-Box co-founder Paul Martin is still in awe of the Usain Bolt era. And interestingly, Martin also made a surprising revelation involving Usain Bolt. 

Paul Martin reflects on the Usain Bolt era

Paul Martin recently appeared in the CITIUS Mag podcast. While discussing the making of ‘SPRINT,’ he also delved into the recent mix of things and reminisced about how he grew up watching the likes of Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt. Martin went on to say that back in the day, Bolt became a household name. Everyone knew what he was doing and what competitions he was going to participate in. But after Bolt bade adieu to the tracks, a similar craze for the 100m events has been missing.

Martin even compared the 100m event to the likes of the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League final. Midway into the conversation, the host asked whether there would be another Usain Bolt, to which Martin was quick to answer, “Honestly, there’s never gonna be another.”

Interestingly, this was quite contrasting to what a prominent track and field star recently said. Noah Lyles, in his preparation for Paris, pointed out that he would be aiming to break Usain Bolt’s record. And guess what? Usain Bolt himself replied to Lyles. 

Noah Lyles aiming big in Paris

Noah Lyles aims to be the fastest man in the world come the Paris Olympics. This means he has to break Usain Bolt’s 9.58s time in 100m. While that might seem like a tough ask, Lyles mentioned in an interview with NBC, “World records are meant to be broken… It’s just another goal to check off the list and it’s always fun to go after the top.” 

And to top it off, Bolt himself thinks that it is doable. He replied, “The possibility is there.” Lyles has been busy putting the effort in his talk. In the 2023 London Diamond League, he broke Bolt’s record for most 200m dashes under 20 seconds. With things getting interesting, all eyes will be on Noah Lyles come Paris 2024.