Usain Bolt say he’s retiring from the sprinting world, and if you believe the fastest man alive, it’s a sad day for sports. Bolt has been the biggest name in track and field for more than a decade, lightning-fast and charismatic with his signature style and eye-popping results.
Gatorade decided to honor Bolt’s last race at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London with a commercial chronicling his career, which is expected to end shortly after his final 100m race.
The ad, called “History is History” talks about how unlikely Bolt’s rise to the best in the world was. His unique size, stride and the way he ran races was so different than the traditional speedster. And his unique name, of course, always helped make him stand out as one of the most talked about Olympic athletes at each summer games.
History says you should be five inches shorter. History says you should have a common name like Lewis or Johnson. History says you should move away from home and train in a world class facility. History say you should take this seriously. That you should start fast and have a short stride. History says records are broken by fractions, not feat.
That’s why history is history.
It’s a fitting tribute to a sprinter unafraid to be himself and have a bit of style while doing it. Check out the shoes he’s wearing for his final races. Golden, sparkling, and emblazoned with the word “FOREVER” on the purple side of one shoe and “FASTEST” on the other.
Humans might get faster still as nutrition and training helps us evolve. Bolt’s records may one day fall. But he was a super fascinating athlete to watch perform, right down to his final races.
