'Coach Said World Didn't Get To See The Best Of Me': Usain Bolt To NDTV
Glen Mills was Usain Bolt's long-time coach (2004-2017), guiding him to his historic world records.
Usain Bolt, the legendary sprinter, opened up on the injury issues he encountered during his career, while speaking to NDTV. He also shared his sentiments about his coach, Glen Mills, and the impact he had on managing his injuries, specifically related to scoliosis. The 39-year-old, who retired in 2017, continues to hold the 100- and 200-meter world records, which he broke during a career that was incredibly successful and included eight Olympic gold medals at the Beijing, London, and Rio Summer Games. Mills was Usain Bolt's long-time coach (2004-2017), guiding him to his historic world records.
"I think at the start it was tough, but after I met my coach Glen Mills, he kind of gave me more confidence because he would explain to me, listen, injuries are part of sports, and the first thing he did is like listen, 'we need to find the root of your problem' because I didn't figure that out until I started working with him. He said, all right, the scoliosis is the problem, what do we need to to do to avoid this, and that's kind of what gave me the confidence because I knew that I had somebody that knew exactly what we needed to do at all times to make sure I was OK," Bolt told NDTV during an exclusive chat.
Bolt insisted that Mills is a father figure and mentor to many athletes, including him, and labelled him as a 'role model'.
"Yeah, for me, my coach played such a big role. He's like my second dad, you know what I mean, he really supported not just in track and field, but in life. He would give me advice with everything, so it's something that I really, really have to give thanks for," he added.
Despite breaking several records, Bolt revealed that Mills always thought he had another gear he could have gone into.
"My coach believes that. My coach said, 'the world didn't get to see the best of me, so he believed that. I felt like I did great"
Speaking further, the lanky Jamaican named West Indies greats Chris Gayle and Courtney Walsh as his favourite cricketer and bowler, respectively.
Bolt, who is a renowned supporter of Manchester United, revealed that he started supporting the Red Devils because of former Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who played for the club between 2001-06.
He also shed light on his admiration for Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who had two different stints with Manchester United (2003-2009 and 2021-22).