Taper Up TeamWe thought we knew fast when Usain Bolt won gold in 2008 in preposterous fashion (with his shoe untied!). But somehow he got faster, smashing his Olympic records in 2012. This year, at the ancient age of 29, the fastest man in history grabbed three more gold medals, making the case that he was right when he declared himself “The Greatest Athlete to Live.”
Usain Bolt favors the supine. Given the chance, the feet will go up on something or the ass will scoot down on something. He looks very natural on a couch in the “fourth hour of watching sports on television” position. The first afternoon we meet—in the living room of his home in the verdant hills on the outskirts of Kingston—Usain is splayed on a chaise, powering through his Instagram. He is wearing skinny black jeans, white fashion high-tops, a white T-shirt. He’s six feet five inches but extraordinarily well proportioned. Powerful forearms, broad shoulders. His house, comfortable but modest considering he’s one of the wealthiest people in Jamaica, is decorated in the contemporary-nationless style, like a luxury condo in Dubai. Lots of black and white, lots of cold tiles. He’s in the midst of having three months off—it’s October now, but he won’t get back on the track again until November. He says it’s a schedule that suits him.
“I’m pretty lazy,” he tells me. “I’m a lazy person.”
This is the most time he’s ever had off since he started competing seriously at age 16. It’s a reward he’s given to himself for winning three gold medals at the Rio Olympics this year (for the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and as part of the 4 x 100-meter relay team). For not only holding the world record in the 100 and 200 (which no one seems to be able to come close to) but also being the only runner in the history of the world to win three gold medals in three sprinting events in three separate Games. It’s hard to even come up with a name for it—the triple three-peat? The nine-peat?
I ask: Is it difficult to be physically inactive for that long?
Brigitte Evans
