Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed king of sprinting, has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind. This week, the legendary Jamaican sprinter made headlines once again after delivering a stinging assessment of today’s 100m stars — including Noah Lyles and newly crowned world champion Oblique Seville. Bolt’s remarks have sparked debate across the athletics world, with fans and pundits weighing in on whether his criticism is a wake-up call or an unnecessary shot at the new generation.
Speaking during a media appearance, Bolt acknowledged the progress of men’s sprinting since his retirement but made it clear that he believes the current crop still has work to do to reach the level of consistency he maintained during his reign. “It’s great to see Seville finally winning gold and Lyles trying to dominate the sprints,” Bolt said. “But when I look at the times, I’m not seeing that fear factor we used to bring to the track. Everyone is running well, but nobody is running to scare the competition like we used to.”
His comments were particularly pointed towards Lyles, who has openly declared himself the “world’s fastest man” after winning multiple world titles. Bolt seemed unimpressed, remarking, “Calling yourself the fastest man doesn’t make you the fastest. You have to back it up every time you step on the track — in the 100m, the 200m, the Diamond League, everywhere. Consistency is what makes you great.”
The Jamaican sprint icon also mentioned Oblique Seville, who stormed to gold at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo with a blistering 9.77 personal best. Bolt praised Seville’s performance but urged him to build on it rather than settle for one major victory. “Oblique ran a brilliant race, no doubt, but one gold medal doesn’t make you a legend. The challenge now is whether he can stay healthy, stay focused, and keep delivering those performances year after year.”
Bolt’s comments reflect the weight of expectation that follows any athlete competing in the post-Bolt era. His own career set a standard that may never be matched — world records of 9.58 and 19.19 remain untouched, and his dominance stretched over nearly a decade. For today’s sprinters, that shadow looms large.
Fans online had mixed reactions to Bolt’s remarks. Some agreed with his assessment, arguing that the current field lacks a charismatic, dominant figure who can consistently light up the track. Others felt his comments were unnecessarily harsh, pointing out that sprinting has become more competitive and that depth in the field means faster times are harder to achieve consistently.
Whether his words were meant as criticism or motivation, Bolt’s message was clear: greatness in sprinting is not about one-off performances but about creating an era. For Noah Lyles, Oblique Seville, and the rest of today’s stars, the challenge is to prove that they can take the sport forward, not just live in Bolt’s shadow.
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