Trash Talking Doesn’t Scare Me

Usain Bolt emerged from Beijing as perhaps the biggest Olympic track star in half a century, and the first man to win both the 100- and 200-meter sprints, both in world-record times. The ease of his long stride, and the joyful Jamaican dance pose he struck in victory, made him a pop celebrity to millions. The head of the International Olympic Committee said his victory pose did not befit a champion. No matter; Bolt's agent, Ricky Simms, is working to make him another Tiger Woods, the first sprinter to earn more than $10 million a year. In Toronto to accept the Laureus World Sports Award for sportsman of the year, Bolt talked about his future with NEWSWEEK'S Tony Emerson. Excerpts:

You ran the 100 in 9.69, and hit 27.28 miles an hour. What's the human limit?
I think 9.4 can be done.

By You?
Maybe. [Smiles.]

You're not a trash talker, in a trash-talking sport. Do other guys try to intimidate you?
Yeah. One talked [after early heats in Beijing] about how "there ain't gonna be no jogging in the finals." But I wasn't jogging, I was being smart, conserving energy. So I just smiled. Trash talking doesn't work on me.

You've said you run really hard in only one out of 10 races. How's that?
If you watch my races, I'll run 85 yards and shut it off, if I'm winning. Some say it's a bad attitude. But it depends what my instructions are.

You avoid the 400 because of the training. Are you being pressed to work harder?
Yeah. The 100 and 200 are easier, keep me in that comfort zone, not so much hard work and burn. The 400 would be a major change. It's gonna be so serious. That's why I'm staying away from it.

One reason you're a hero is you're drug-free. But can you foresee the pressures? What if you get beat by a bulked-up rival?
Personally, I don't need to. I've done great things, but I know I can be beat. So one day I may get beat three, four times, but I know what it takes to stay on top. Work harder, stay focused. I'm a God-blessed child. So I'm not worried.

One rival coach compared you to Einstein or Newton, meaning a natural genius at track. Do you have a full grip on who you are in the eyes of the world?
I'm not gonna change, to be who people want me to be, and then when I retire, not know who I am. Some people may not like it.

Your dad ran the local grocery, but it's not clear what that means in the Jamaican context. Were you poor, middle class, rich?
We weren't rich, that's for sure. My dad worked hard to send me to school, but I got everything I wanted. Even now he's a hard worker—I tell him to stop work but he doesn't want it. He's a proud guy.

How about the discipline he imposed? You've talked about how everyone in Jamaica gets hit.
My dad was really serious, because his dad was serious, when it comes to respect and discipline. One thing he was serious about was respect to all people, no matter who they are, even crazy people on the street. That's the way I was brought up: step over the line and you get disciplined. And I thank him every day for that, because that's what makes me what I am now: this laid-back, nice person everyone likes to be around.

Is that discipline part of the secret to Jamaican success in sprinting?
For me, it worked.

You've linked Jamaica's success to its slave heritage. Can you explain?
Yeah, most of the athletes in Jamaica are from this area they call the Cockpit Country; that's where most of the Jamaican slaves were. And if you check the guys who are really fast, they come from the surrounding area. I personally think it has something to do with slavery, and the power of the Africans they brought there.

Your $10 million goal—how's that going?
Oh, ask this guy. [Gestures to his agent.]

That quote has been attributed to you. Is he the one who really said that?
Yeah, he's the one who said it, and he's the one who's gonna work on it.

So you don't think about money?
You do think about money, because you can't do this forever.