There isn’t a single athlete who’s electrified the sport of track and field like Usain Bolt. From his first Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Games to his as-yet unbeaten world record at the 2009 World Championships, his energy, theatrics, and once-in-a-generation speed cemented him as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
He’s won eight Olympic gold medals, eleven world championship titles, and still holds a trio of world records, but today, he’s in a new chapter of his life as a father of three, an entrepreneur, and a Hublot ambassador. We caught up with him in Geneva to discuss how he’s been keeping busy, what still drives him, and what it means to have his very own Hublot special edition watch (watch a snippet of our interview here).
Boss Hunting: Your new watch – the Hublot Big Bang Reloaded Chronograph Usain Bolt Edition – contains sand from the running track back home in Jamaica. What did you feel when you first saw that detail realised in real life?
Usain Bolt: When we were talking about it as an idea, the designers at Hublot told me it had never been done before, and they didn’t even know if they could do it, so when they got it actually done, I was really excited. It’s a detail that I always knew was going to be spectacular, and it comes with a story, so it’s even better.
BH: Your 9.58 world record is a number that perhaps defines your career in the public eye, but you’ve said it’s not actually the race you think about most. What moments stay with you more?
UB: One of my favourite races was actually a relay I ran in Jamaica in ’08. It’s a race where one of my favourite pictures was taken, where I was screaming at my fellow Jamaican to run, and somebody captured it. To this day, I love that picture, and it’s one of my favourite races. Track and field is such an individual sport, so to actually compete as a team is always very special.
BH: The bezel of the watch reads “Anything is possible – don’t think limits.” Is that a mantra that came naturally to you, or something you had to learn?
UB: That’s my message now, but it wasn’t always. I actually limited myself when I was growing up. My only goal was just to win one Olympic gold medal – that was it. I wasn’t thinking about world records, I wasn’t thinking about winning three gold medals. And then after I won them, a couple of years later, I was like, you know what – don’t ever limit yourself. I never knew I would get to this level, or do what I’ve done, so I tell people: every moment you limit yourself, you’ll never get to the level you need to get to.
BH: The lightning bolt is the counterweight on the chronograph hands, which feels fitting. When you first did that celebration in Beijing, was it spontaneous, or something you’d been working on?
UB: It was something that was spoken about. I used to hang out with dancers in Jamaica, and they told me, “If you win, you have to dance.” They said it would be cool if I did a pose, and I was like, “A pose?” So I was trying to figure something out. I did dancing in Beijing because of them, and then that’s how the pose came about.
BH: You’re now a father of three. Is “don’t think limits” something you’re deliberately instilling in your kids?
UB: Yeah, definitely – hard work, dedication, and believing in yourself. My dad really instilled that in me while I was growing up, so that’s one thing I want to always make sure they learn. Confidence, believing in yourself, being dedicated, working hard: these are things they won’t have a choice about. I will push them to work hard and never give up, and to understand that things will be hard, because the harder it is, the more it makes it worth it. When you cross that finish line, and you’ve won, it’s like, yes, because you know what you’ve done to get to that moment.
BH: As an Australian publication, we have to ask. Are you aware of the sprinter Gout Gout?
UB: I get tagged in his races all the time! People have asked me about him, even before he first burst onto the scene. He’s going to be great, but there’s so much more to come. He’s just raw running right now, and he has a lot more developing to do, and I’m sure he’ll work on technique and learn a lot more. Hopefully, he finds a good team to help him develop throughout his career, because the more famous you get, the more people want a piece of you. What a lot of people forget is that track and field is what made you who you are. The moment you forget that, you go back to not being anybody.
BH: You’re famously a serious football fan and came very close to playing professionally in Australia as a forward. What was it about that position that appealed to you?
UB: I’m a goal scorer. I was never the skilled type to try fancy things; I always just wanted to get the ball, and I wanted to score because that’s the glory. I want to win.
BH: The collection is called the Big Bang Reloaded, which speaks to reinvention. What does that word mean to you at this stage of your life?
UB: Personally, I’m just trying to be with these kids. The older they get, the more problems they give me, but it’s fun to see how they grow and evolve. Business-wise, I’m working on an energy and hydration drink called RDM, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. We’re trying to make it all natural and focused on athletes, and hopefully, I can get it done and launch it by the summer.
BH: Last question: when someone picks up this watch in 50 years, reads “anything is possible, don’t think limits,” and thinks of your career, what do you hope they take away?
UB: I always just try to be who I am, which is just a down-to-earth, fun-loving person. Not just what was on the track, because I was always chilled and having fun. The motto is really just to believe in yourself. I started this interview by saying I never thought I would be here, and that was because I put a limit on myself. I took that limit off, and then the sky was the limit. So just take it for what it says: anything is possible. Don’t limit yourself.
