Usain Bolt Says Rio 2016 Will Be His Final Olympic Games

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics will be the final time track and field fans get to see Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in action during the Games.

During a press conference Monday, Bolt said this year's Olympics will be his last, per Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports.

"Yes, this is the last Olympics for sure," the sprinter said. "I have done everything and have proven myself."

Bolt also said "a lot of people aren't happy" about his decision, which Busbee speculated was a reference to his fans and sponsors.

While Bolt's supporters would love to see him chase gold medals again in 2020, he will be 33 years old during the Tokyo Olympics.

Bolt said he "really, really" wants to keep his world record in the 200 meters and said "it's going to take sub-19 [seconds]" to do so, per Busbee. Bolt holds the record at 19.19 seconds, and a sub-19-second race would add a memorable exclamation point to his Olympic career.

Anything he does in Rio, however, will only add to what is already one of the most illustrious resumes in the sport.

Bolt won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay at both the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games. He also swept those three events at the 2009, 2013 and 2015 World Championships. He could have done the same in 2011 if not for a false start in the 100-meter final.

Bolt holds the world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 and helped set the 36.84-second record in the 4x100 relay. Perhaps his most memorable performance came at the 2008 Games, where he destroyed the competition in the 100 meters and began celebrating before he crossed the finish line.

Somehow, he had managed to set a world record (then 9.69 seconds) and announce himself as an international superstar without going full speed for the entire race.



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Less than a month ago, there were questions about whether Bolt would get the opportunity to compete in the 2016 Games. According to NBC Olympics' Seth Rubinroit, the sprinter withdrew from Jamaica's Olympic trials because of a hamstring injury. While United States athletes must compete in the trials to reach the Olympics, injured athletes can apply for a medical exemption in Jamaica.

As a result, Bolt has the chance to compete in Rio and give fans a few more memorable moments on his way out. He is the defining figure of a generation of track and field athletes and will be remembered as one of the best Olympians in history.