The fastest man in the world will put away his spikes after the Rio Olympics.
Usain Bolt, the Puma-sponsored Jamaican sprinter who holds the world record for the men’s 200-meter, announced during a press conference on Monday that this Olympics will be his last.
“I have done everything and have proven myself,” he said.
Although this might disappoint some of his fans, this was by no means a glum press conference. A Norwegian member of the press that was in the room stood and told Bolt that he’s a big fan of the sprinter and even sang him these lines: “I hope you win. I hope it’s your day. I hope you win even though you got hit by a Segway,” referencing the incident when Bolt was bit by a Segway at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
The 29-year-old, six-time Olympic gold medalist said that this year he’d like to break his own 200 record and become the first man to run the race in under 19 seconds.
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“I really want it,” he said of breaking the record. “I always wanted to run sub-19 [seconds]. But you never know.”
In true Bolt fashion, he exited the press conference doing the samba with a group of Brazilian dancers.
At Bolt’s last race before these Olympics — the IAAF Diamond League Athletics Muller Anniversary Games in London — he threw his Puma spikes into the crowd after winning the 200 race. The lucky woman who caught the shoes broke down in tears, later writing on Twitter, “I am officially the luckiest girl on the planet but I will cherish these for the rest of my life.”
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