Usain Bolt's life after retirement: Eight-time Olympic champion reveals daily struggles; wants to ‘get breathing right’

Greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt won eight gold medals across three Olympic Games - 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro. He also has 11 World Championship gold, two silver and a bronze. In fact, Bolt still holds world records for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay

Koushik Paul
Updated16 Sep 2025, 11:37 PM IST
Usain Bolt has revealed his after-retirement struggles in a recent event.
Usain Bolt has revealed his after-retirement struggles in a recent event. (REUTERS)

For an eight-time Olympic champion, one would think life would be bed full of roses after retirement. But for Usain Bolt, who ruled the world in athletics from 2008 to 2016, life has become tough for the big Jamaican as the fames sprinter now gasps for breath after walking up stairs. Regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, Bolt won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, three each in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016).

He also has 11 World Championship gold medals, two silver and a bronze. In fact, Bolt still holds world records for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. At 39 years, Bolt no longer runs due to a ruptured achilles.

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“No, I mostly do gym workouts. I’m not a fan, but I think now that I’ve been out for a while, I have to actually start running because, when I walk up stairs, I get out of breath,” Bolt told media at the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Tokyo recently.

“I think when I start working on it fully again, I will probably have to do some laps just to get my breathing right,” added the Jamaican, who now spends most of his time at home with family.

What's Usain Bolt's day-to-day life looks like?

Having retired in 2017 from elite sprinting, Bolt now spends most of the time with his children. He also spends time on Lego. “Well normally, I wake up just in time to see the kids off to school, and then it depends on what I have to do. If I have nothing to do, I just chill out," he said.

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"I might work out sometimes if I’m in a good mood. I just watch some series and chill until the kids come home. I spend some time with them, hang out, until they start annoying me then I leave. And then afterwards, I just stay at home and watch movies or I’m into Lego now, so I do Lego.”

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