Beginning this morning, global attention will be on the Olympic Stadium in London as the 16th IAAF World Championships begin. Jamaican Usain Bolt who has remained a phenomenon since becoming the poster-boy of global athletics way back in 2008 will be the focus of everyone to see if he is capable of drawing curtain on his illustrious career unbeaten.
Asked in a pre-championships briefing what the 30-year old sprinter wants to be remembered as a legacy, bolt spelt it out thus: “Unbeatable! Unstoppable!”
Yet, this is that same starry-eyed 15-year old who shot into global attention winning the 200m event of the IAAF World Junior Championship inside the National Stadium in Kingston in 2002 to kick-start his ride to stardom.
Winning his first sprint double at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and following it up with two world records of 100m (9.58secs) and 200m (19.19) at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany a year later, really shot lightning Bolt to the summit of global athletics. Between then and now, the Jamaican has showed to all and sundry that there is nothing more to prove.
However, it remains to be seen how Bolt can actualize his dream of leaving the sport unbeaten at this last outing in London. After the 100m final tomorrow night and the 4x100m relay final on August 12, the world will know whether Bolt was merely grandstanding.
