"I didn't feel that drive again"- Usain Bolt opens up on how withdrawal of top athletes dimmed his competitive spirit after the London Olympics

Usain Bolt revealed he didn't feel the drive to compete at the 2013 World Championships when half of the top-tier athletes dropped out due to injuries after the London Olympics. The triple world record holder always liked good competition in his events until concluding his track career in 2017.

Usain Bolt broke the 100m world in 9.69s at the 2008 Olympic Games and improved his time to 9.58s at the 2009 World Championships, a record unbroken to this day. In the same event, he also broke the 200m world record by a significant margin despite three other athletes running under 19.90s.

Having achieved a string of successes and etching his name as the greatest sprinter in the World, Bolt drew a line to his storied career in 2017, after returning home with three golds from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

However, in a recent conversation with High Performance, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist particularly talked about the 2013 Championships, where he didn't feel his hundred percent mentally.

"In 2013, I was training hard I was working hard and I was getting to the World Championships. It was in Russia and a few of the top athletes started dropping out for injuries drug issues and a few other different things. And the fact that everybody wasn't going to be there in the moment kind of felt, I didn't feel that drive again because I knew if even if I won the best in the world wasn't there. I don't mind being chased." (36:00)

In the 100m dash, he defeated his American counterpart, Justin Gatlin, in 9.77s, the fastest time of that year. He then edged out Warren Weir in the 200m finals by clocking 19.66s. His win in the 4x100m relay made him the most successful track athlete in the 30-year World Championships history.

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Usain Bolt praised Justin Gatlin's confidence on the track during their competitive days

Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin at the VIP's Attend The IAAF World Athletics Championships - (Source: Getty)

While Bolt retired in 2017, American track athlete Justin Gatlin ended his successful career in 2022. However, their rivalry was one of the most well-known in the track history. At the 2017 Championships, Gatlin outpaced Bolt in the 100m, while the Jamaican defeated the former at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Despite being toe-to-toe competitors, the track icons had mutual respect and admiration and praised each other on public appearances. In an exclusive interview with 'High Performance', the 38-year-old lauded Gatlin's confidence and will to win.

"I mean you have to be dedicated to anything you do, you just can't go in halfway like oh okay I am going to do. You have to be fully dedicated and if you don't believe that it can be done, then you have already defeated," he said. (55:20)

He added:

"I think that's one thing that I've always respected about Justin (Gatlin) competing with him and the belief he had every race that he was going to win."

Usain Bolt was the first athlete to run sub-9.7s and sub-9.6s in the 100m and win four 200m titles at the World Championships. He also showed interest in other sports, like cricket and football, especially after his retirement.