Bengaluru: He is cool, he is supremely talented, he is charismatic and he is the fastest man in the world.
If track and field is a religion, then surely Usain Bolt is a god.
The Jamaican has it all: the will to succeed, the desire to achieve it, the broad shoulders to carry all the hopes and the panache to pull off the tag of the fastest man in the planet.
There are few sportspersons in the world who have managed to sustain their level of success and the heights achieved by Bolt, and fewer still who’ve won the hearts of fans with his child-like demeanour which makes his retorts, often bordering on arrogance, sound funny and endearing.
It is his quirks and attitude that makes the track star a legend, one that will be talked about much after his running days are over for both his on and off field antics.
When the world record holder landed in India for the very first time, fans, photographers, journalists and even former athletes couldn’t get enough of the man who has continually showed that nothing is impossible.
“It is wonderful to know that I have a huge fan base in India. It is great to be here and hopefully I can come back. It is just wonderful to see young athletes working hard to be great or to be like me because I live to inspire,” said the Jamaican.
“As long as I can inspire I am happy with the job that I am doing.”
And inspire he did, as the city’s rich and poor came out in droves to catch a glimpse of the towering sprinter.
“I told my boss that no matter what I will not come to work today,” said Shuveshek who works for Dell.
“This is absolutely amazing. I have been excited for weeks. We always get retired athletes to come here like Carl Lewis earlier this year, who are by no means less. But to get the current world record holder is mind blowing,” he gushed.
Even former athlete Ashwini Nachappa could be seen smiling with childish delight.
“This is unbelievable. Not very often do you see the fastest man on earth in your own city. I am in awe.”
