Usain Bolt, aptly nicknamed “Lightning Bolt,” expressed his intention to retire after the World Championship Games. He intends to leave the field unbeatable and unstoppable. Because of this, athletes from all over the world are coming together to give the fastest man in the world the homage everyone feels he deserves.

The athletes who came together to salute the champion include four-time Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and four-time F1 world champion Alan Prost.

Football stars Bastian Schweinsteiger and Kaka also expressed their respect for the retiring runner. Olympic champion and fellow runner Shaunae Miller-Uibo specifically thanked Bolt for opening doors for so many people and for making it a fun sport again.

Bolt’s belts

This sentiment is understandable given the unbroken string of championships under Bolt’s belt. Usain Bolt has, not one, but four Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards. This is in addition to being named World Athlete of the Year and Track & Field Athlete of the Year. He is an eight-time Olympic Gold medalist and an eleven-time World Champion.

His best year being 2008 when he broke two world records in that year’s Olympic Games.

He then proceeded to break his world record the following year. On top of all of that, he is also the only sprinter to win a “triple double.” This means that won gold medals in two different events, for three consecutive Olympic Games. Therefore cementing his standing as the greatest sprinter in the world.

All things considered, the only break in Bolt’s championship record was his disqualification in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. He was a crowd favorite to win in the 100m dash but was eliminated from the finals due to a “false start.”

The old rule in Track And Field allows for one false start per race.

This was changed in January 2009 and was enforced without any high-profile disqualification until Bolt’s in 2011.

The upcoming race

Bolt will be running his last race in the World Track and Field Championships in London. He will be running against top athletes like England’s CJ Ujah and US team’s Justin Gatlin.

Both runners have placed second and third to Bolt in previous races, but Ujah is optimistic that anything can happen. This is especially true since Usain only broke the 10-second mark for the 100m sprint once this season.

Bolt admits that this is partially due to the effect of the death of his friend Germaine Mason. Mason is a British high jump athlete, and he died in a motorcycle accident this year after a night out with Bolt.

Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who Bolt initially identified as a possible successor, will not be joining the championships. De Grasse suffered a hamstring injury while training and will be facing a rehabilitation process that will take weeks.

The Bolt and De Grasse competition was tagged as playful in the last Rio Olympics. Unfortunately, claims by De Grasse’s camp made the rivalry a little less friendly. They claim that Bolt had the Canadian removed from the Monaco race because he was threatened. If Usain Bolt continues with his retirement plans, De Grasse will never get the opportunity to beat the legend.