Paris Olympics 2024: ‘We’ve move on from Bolt’ as new track superstars arise from Games
World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe says the sport has finally moved on from Usain Bolt after a series of exhilarating performances on the track in Paris.
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Track and field has finally moved on from Usain Bolt.
World Athletics boss Lord Sebastian Coe has declared the sport has emerged from the shadow of sprinting superstar Usain Bolt.
Coe, speaking in Paris on the final day of the athletics program, rattled off a series of statistics to vindicate his claims that, almost a decade after Bolt ran his last race in anger, the sport has finally moved on from the greatest sprinter in its history.
Above all else, he spoke about the stars who have shone so bright in Paris.
“I cannot remember a generation of more talented athletes,” Coe said. “When I say that I make two points here, and I make it really respectfully because we are no longer a sport about one person. That one person was Herculean. That one person transformed the popularity of our sport for a very clear period of time and he consistently did that.
“That is obviously Usain Bolt. The question I had from many of you – and it is a good question – is about what would you do when Usain actually left the field.
“I said it is a little bit like the same question that boxing audiences were getting a few years ago when Muhammad Ali retired. You don’t replace Muhammad Ali. You don’t replace Usain Bolt. But I did say that mark my words, other athletes will come through. The way they have come through has been extraordinary.
“We now have a greater bandwidth of talent across a broader range of disciplines. I’m not going to name the individuals and disciplines. You know exactly what I’m saying.”
Bolt was a leviathan, winning the sprint double at three consecutive Games and taking the sport to a new stratosphere.
The Jamaican genius circled in his own orbit. When an athlete of that stature leaves any sport, they leave behind a gaping hole. It was no different when Bolt hung up the cleats, but these Games have allowed a handful of stars to make their mark.
Coe opted not to name names but we’ll do it for him – and we’ll happily throw a couple of Australians into the mix.
First though, the world record breakers in pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who took their respective events where no one has before.
Noah Lyles declared himself the champ before he raced and vindicated it over the 100m.
Kenyan legend Faith Kipyegon beat our own Jess Hull to the 1500m gold, Jakob Ingebrigtsen produced one of the races of the meet in the 5000m, Gabby Thomas blitzed the 200m and Sha-Carri Richardson didn’t have the Games she hoped, but still fired the US to relay success.
“If you really want the definite definition of a global sport, when we had our 105th country in the history of the Olympic movement winning a medal in Paris,” Coe said.
“That has been sensational. Tell me any other sport on the opening day of the competition celebrating that.”
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Originally published as Paris Olympics 2024: ‘We’ve move on from Bolt’ as new track superstars arise from Games
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