Follow usThe fastest man in history Usain Bolt has made a surprising confession about life after sprinting. The Jamaican icon, who retired in 2017 with eight Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, says even climbing a flight of stairs leaves him short of breath these days.
Bolt has been dealing with the lingering effects of a torn Achilles tendon, and while he remains active in the gym, his legendary fitness has inevitably declined.
There’s a lot of that going around.
Usain Bolt, 39.
— tern (@1goodtern) September 15, 2025
“I mostly do gym workouts. I’m not a fan, but I think now that I’ve been out for a while, I have to actually start running. Because when I walk upstairs, I get out of breath. I think when I start working on it fully again, I will probably have to do some laps just to get my breathing right.”
Despite those struggles, Bolt’s name still dominates the record books. His 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, set in 2009, remains untouched, as do his marks in the 200m (19.19) and 4x100m relay (36.84).
Even with modern advancements in training, nutrition, and technology, nobody has come close to beating his times. “We’re just more talented. That’s all I’m saying. Of course, it shows when it comes to the men. You can see the women are different. They’re running faster times and faster times. So it shows – it has to be the talent.”
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