(S.Ravi Seshu)
Olympics is not at all a joke for sports persons for obvious reasons but it is quite opposite to the fastest human-being, Usain Bolt!
Having established as an adorable funny character on the tracks with his signature gestures before and after the race and fun-filled mannerisms all throughout, the Jamaican with a burning desire to achieve the rarest fete of “Triple-Tripl” in Rio has brought in comedy onto the centre-stage.
As every tiny fraction of a second can change their fortune, sprinters pay a lot of concentration during the race. Have you ever seen Carl Lewis, Michael Johanson or their ilk sporting a smile in the middle of the nerve-racking competition? No way, but here comes Bolt entertaining the world of sport with his broad smiles a few meters before the finish line.
During his 100 m semi-final a couple of days ago, Bolt was seen running with a broad smile well-captured by an Australian photographer Cameron Spencer. It looks like the speeding Bolt posing for the waiting photographer!
“Fortunately Bolt was running in the second semi and I decided to shoot a slow pan shot of him running past. I stopped on the 70 meter line and waited for him to come by; no-one expected him to slow down and give a big smile to my direction,” Spencer said later.
The 29-year-old Jamaican, the star attraction of blue ribbon events on the track and field, mesmerized the world by winning the race.
The gutsy Bolt repeated the same tantalizing act during 200 m semifinals on Thursday too. He grinned his way over the line forgetting the looming threat to his prospects in the form of Canadian athlete Andre De Grasse, who is running next to him. Surprisingly, Andre too flashed back a big smile at Bolt much to the joy of viewers.
Bolt did it as Andre closed in on him towards the end of the race and the two were exchanging smiles well after crossing the finish line. While the Jamaican ran 19.78 second, Andre was just 0.02 second behind him!
Blissfully amused by the new Olympic bromance launched by the fun-loving Bolt, twitterati is making fun of the episode. Of course, a smile is contagious!
For sure, athletes should have enormous guts to carry on the legacy of the ‘joyful spirit of competition’ that Bolt is relishing for himself and leaving it for others in the days to come.
