"I was floating" - Usain Bolt opens up about his dream of breaking the world record in 2010 before getting injured

Usain Bolt shared his thoughts on potentially breaking the world record in 2010, as he was running at his peak. Bolt's training and race performances were at an elite level, and he was consistently producing fast times.

The fastest sprinter in the world believed that he was in the best shape of his career at that time, which made his eventual injury even more frustrating. Bolt was confident that he could break records that season, but an untimely injury stalled his momentum.

Reflecting on that period, the 38-year-old expressed regret that he couldn't maintain his form throughout the season. He said that had he remained healthy, he might have broken another record.

On The Fix podcast on Feb. 10, Bolt said:

"I was floating. I was running very well and doing very well, and then we get injured, and the coach was excited at first. Here my coach say, 'Never damn know'. If that season, I never get injured, I would have broken the record again. I can't remember - think it was 2010 or 2011." (56:03)

Usain Bolt's Olympic career was defined by gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at three consecutive Games.

In 2008 Beijing, Bolt won gold in all three events. He repeated that at the 2012 London Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bolt completed a historic triple, winning gold in all three events again.

However, his gold at the 4x100 relay at the Beijing Games was later taken away because his teammate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping.

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Usain Bolt reflects on his peak form in 2009

Usain Bolt at the 2023 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Source: Getty

During an interview with Olympics.com in December 2023, Usain Bolt reflected on his 2009 season - the World Championships in Berlin, where he set the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds.

He shared that he felt confident about breaking the world record because he was in peak physical condition throughout the season. His training went well, and his performances in previous races showed that he was consistently running at an elite level.

Bolt added that his belief was further reinforced by a bet he had made with his coach and masseuse, predicting that he would set a world record. The confidence came from the way he had been performing in training and competition leading up to the race. Reflecting on his possible record-breaking moment in Berlin in 2009, he said:

"I remember actually we had a bet: me, my coach and my masseuse, on how fast I was gonna run. I knew I was gonna break the world record because I was in such good shape at the time. I was running great throughout the season." (olympics.com)

Usain Bolt retired from competitive games after the 2017 World Championships, where he secured third place in his last 100m race.