Monaco – Two-time Olympic Games 800m champion, David Rudisha, has said that Usain Bolt “will be missed” from the sport of track and field.
Bolt, who is the king of the sport, has stated that will retire after the 2017 World Championships in London. The Jamaican sprinter won three straight Olympic Games 100/200m double in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. He also won the World Championships double in 2009, 2013 and 2015, only missing it in 2011 after false starting in the 100m in Daegu. He, however, won the 200m at the same meet.
“We will miss him very much,” Rudisha, the 2011 and 2015 World champion, told journalists in Monaco on Thursday (December 1).
Rudisha, who is the world 800m record holder, however believes with “other young and upcoming athletes who are coming up” the sport will have a continuation in the sprints.
See below Rudisha’s comments.
On the impending retirement after 2017 of triple-triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt:
“Usain Bolt is one of the greatest athletes of all time. What he has done for the sport has been really great. We will miss him very much. We also have other young and upcoming athletes who are coming up, who are good prospects. Usain Bolt is someone we won’t see every time. But the future is very unpredictable. We might see another Bolt tomorrow. Or it might take a hundred years.”
On his greatest ambitions:
“There’s still a lot to do. Usain Bolt has won consecutive triple gold at three consecutive Olympics. At 800 metres, nobody has won three consecutive Olympic titles. So that is a great motivation. I’m looking forward to 2020. I have a great feeling that if I stay injury-free, have good health and strong training I feel I’m still strong and good to go.”
