Usain Bolt is the undisputed legend when it comes to the realm of track and field. Having clinched some significant records to his name, the Fastest Man on Earth eats, sleeps, and dreams sprinting. So much so, that even after his retirement, Bolt was itching to come back to the track. After mesmerizing the world with his incredible speed, the Jamaican suffered a gruesome injury. And although he did want to push through the pain, Bolt’s doctor forced him not to take the plunge anymore. 

Thus, forced to stay retired, Bolt had a hard time keeping himself out of the action during the 2020 Olympics. While the COVID impact on the tournament already had its woes, the Jamaican track and field particularly fell flat. Having a rich history of churning out some of the greatest track and field athletes of all time, the 2020 Jamaican team did not particularly look promising. 

To give some context, competing in the 4x100m relay, the Jamaican sprinters could only notch up 37.84s. This was nowhere near impressive timing, and as a result, the Jamaicans missed out on a podium finish, languishing right at number four. This was hard for Bolt to watch as he is habituated to breaking records and taking the world by surprise. Speaking on Jamaica’s sorry state of affairs in Tokyo, Bolt said, “The Jamaican guys weren’t doing nothing. We were really bad, you know what I mean.” Well, it is pretty much evident how much track and field means to Usain Bolt. Thus, when Bolt speaks about a different set of games with equal excitement, the curiosity levels are bound to skyrocket. 

Yes, Bolt finally does have a retirement game that he enjoys as much as track and field. And it is none other than Dominoes. Speaking about his love for the game, Bolt mentioned on The Jonathan Ross Show, “If you see me playing dominoes— anybody following me on Instagram knows-when I play with my friends, I get really aggressive. It’s an exciting game. It’s very exciting and stressful.” Bolt also detailed that the key to winning is to get to six before the others can win even one game. 

And just like the tracks, Bolt seems to be pretty good at this newfound love of his too! Citing an equal level of excitement as he did breaking the world records, Bolt explained, “Yeah, like when you know you’re going to win because the key is to get to six without the other players winning one game. So, when I’m going to get to six, I’ll get on the table and say, ‘My bag!’ Just to celebrate—it’s just something we do.” Now then, this is surely one of the most heartfelt moments from the track legend. However, during the peak of his career, there was a superstition that might have catalyzed Bolt’s incredible success. 

Usain Bolt confesses his pre-run rituals

Rituals and superstitions are a significant part of the sport. Legends from every field of sporting discipline have admitted to adhering to at least one superstitious belief. And much like the others, track legend Usain Bolt too could recall one such habit of his. Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show recently, the host asked him about whether he had any kinds of superstitions before his races. While Bolt initially denied it, he then recalled a particular ritual. 

Speaking about the same, Bolt stated, “Every World Championships I would grow my hair out but at the Olympics, I would cut it.” Certainly, Bolt was known for his clean-shaven look during the Olympics and the Worlds. Elaborating on the matter further, Bolt revealed a conversation with one of his friends just before the Rio Games. One of his friends, liking Bolt’s long hair look, advised him, “I remember at the last Olympics in 2016 one of my friends said, ‘Are you going to cut your hair?… I feel like you shouldn’t.”. 

But Bolt didn’t want to risk it. He promptly said, “I’m not going to chance it… I’m going to cut my hair.’ So that’s the only thing I’ve really picked up on.” Surely, this superstition worked once again as Bolt went on to win 3 gold medals in Brazil, making him an immortal among the legends.