LONDON, England- Sprint superstar Usain Bolt has revealed how he snubbed his coach’s strict instructions to give up sex and partying if he wanted to achieve track stardom.
The fastest man on the planet claims he would have gone mad if he had followed the advice from Glen Mills who feared free spirit Bolt was bound to “get himself into trouble”.
In extracts from his new autobiography in The Times, Bolt writes: “One time he even told me to avoid sex.”
Mills said: “I don’t worry about you when you’re unfit.
“It’s when you’re strong that I stress because your testosterone goes high – through the roof. You have the potential to get yourself into trouble.”
“I knew that every now and then I had to live fast. It was the only way for me to stay focussed.”
But the six-time Olympic gold medal winner decided not to listen as he needed to blow off steam to stay sane.
He said: “If I had followed Coach’s advice though, I would have driven myself insane. I knew that every now and then I had to live fast.
“It was the only way for me to stay focussed.”
The 27-year-old Jamaican explains in his book – Faster than Lightning: My autobiography – how he coped with the pressure that comes from being a global brand.
“Going out occasionally, dancing and chilling with friends was a release valve from the pressures of living in the spotlight,” he said.
“It helped me to work properly on the track and nobody; nobody was going to tell me otherwise.”
His trademark To Di World archer-style pose sparked millions of imitations and launched his global identity.
Bolt described the attention from fans and sponsors as “overwhelming”, adding that he had to be careful not to be caught behaving badly.
He said: “I had to think about the consequences of my actions at all time, because they might affect how a sponsor viewed me in the future.”
But fun-loving Bolt added that what he “couldn’t do without was a party every now and then”.
“I knew that Coach would be pissed off at hearing the news… but I’d reached an understanding of what was needed if I was to function effectively as an athlete.”
– Daily Star
