“I was never the type of person to worry about outside noise or what’s going on. I was just always focused on working and competing and doing my job. So even if I was still here, it would be the same mentality—just getting the job done.”
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Usain Bolt, the man, the myth, the legendary sprinter who won eight Olympic Gold medals across three different Olympic Games from 2008-2016 and holds the world record in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, has recently added “Global Tourism Ambassador of Jamaica” to his list of titles.
“I’ve always been a Jamaican ambassador,” Bolt told Outside Run last week. “I’m just happy to have an official job now.” Bolt recently filmed a commercial to promote Jamaican tourism and will be traveling to other countries to meet with their ambassadors as his role evolves.
“Being an athlete, I’ve always pushed the culture of Jamaica,” Bolt said. “I’ve always been proud to promote Jamaica. My country has given me everything. Jamaicans are wonderful people, so I’ve always tried my best to give back as best as possible to this country.”
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Born in Trelawny, Jamaica, Bolt has lived in the country’s capital of Kingston since he was 17, where he spent years training on the hills and grassy fields, and, of course, the track.
These days, his favorite parts of Jamaica are the country’s rivers, where he sometimes goes rafting but most often relaxes with friends, cooks, swims, and listens to music. (He’s also a music producer.) “It’s always nice to hear the water running and just vibing, being with friends is always wonderful in nature,” he said.
We caught up with Bolt via Zoom to chat about the current state of track and field, his new role as Jamaica’s Global Tourism Ambassador, and his recent Lego obsession.
an overhead shot of a bamboo kayak on Montego Bay
Bamboo river rafting on Montego Bay in Jamaica. (Photo: Jamaica Tourist Board)
Outside Run: What was it like growing up a sprinter in Jamaica?
Usain Bolt: A lot of sprinters are from the rural area where I’m from, on the west side of Jamaica, in Sherwood Content. It’s a small community and deep in the bushes.
When I started out, we didn’t really have spikes, so it was mainly [running] barefoot. You could share spikes sometimes with other kids, but because I had big, big feet that meant I was the odd one out. Now I make sure every season the [kids in the area] get track shoes, spikes, and gear to run in, because that was a basic that we needed and we didn’t get.
Outside Run: Do you still run? Do you ever go to the track?
Usain Bolt: No, I don’t run. I try to work out in different ways, but not so much running. It gives me PTSD from those rough days of training.
When I go see my coach, I make sure I wear flip flops. The one time I wore track shoes to the track, he made me do drills to show how it should be done. So after that, I’ve only worn slippers to go see him.
Outside Run: How do you feel about how track and field has evolved since you retired in 2017?
Usain Bolt: One of the things that they are trying to implement—the Grand Slam with the top athletes that would compete in two different events, head-to-head. [And there will be] this big thing next year [the World Athletics Ultimate
Championship], where they’re going to pick the best of the best from the top 16, and then run them in heats and finals, so it’d be more intense and more competitive. They’re trying to do different things to make it more competitive, so it attracts more people because I think a lot of people like this intense competition all the time.
Outside Run: What do you think of some of today’s current athletes putting more into being influencers and ambassadors?
Usian Bolt: I’ve noticed that a lot. I think now stardom is more widespread through the sport. I notice people doing more streaming while they’re competing. They’ll make videos and put them on platforms to generate more interest. I think it comes with the generation of social media, with these younger generations. It will help the sport, for sure.
Outside Run: Are you relieved to not be racing in that era, or does part of you wish you were still involved in it?
Usain Bolt: I do miss competition. For me, I was never the type of person to worry about outside noise or what’s going on. I was just always focused on working and competing and doing my job. So even if I was still here, it would be the same mentality, just getting the job done.
Outside Run: Speaking of stardom, when was the last time you struck your famous pose? And how did that start?
Usain Bolt: I did it Monday. People always want me to do it. At first, I kind of just did it because it was something that I discussed with one of my friends before the ’08 Olympics, that we all should do a pose. I was like, ‘I’ll figure something out.’ So I kind of did it as me putting myself to the world. People saw pictures and then after I went to some track, people were like, ‘Oh, let’s do the pose.’ I was like, ‘What pose?’ That’s how it became a thing after that.
Outside Run: What do you do on your day off from working with partners, being Jamaica’s new tourism ambassador, picking up your three kids from school, etc.?
Usain Bolt: I try to relax as much as I can, because I’m always on the go, there’s always something to do. I’m really into Legos now, so I’m building Legos.
I started because my daughter got these small Lego flowers, but then she got bored and left. So, I finished it. I kind of liked it, so I got into it. The last one I did was Bumblebee from Transformers, and now I just started the Concord. It just keeps me relaxed. It’s complicated, makes you think, keeps your mind occupied. So that’s something I do with my spare time.
Outside Run: Anything else people should know about Jamaica?
Usain Bolt: Jamaica is just a wonderful place. We have the best coffee in the world in Blue Mountain coffee. And Jamaica has everything, our beaches, our rivers, party vibes in Kingston. And the people—we’re laid back, but there’s also the music and the vibe and just the energy of Jamaica. So that’s something that I wish the world could come and see.
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