Retiring Usain Bolt raises the bar for next generation of sprinters, says Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes
Team GB's 200m hope reveals the advice he received from the Jamaican superstar ahead of his farewell at the World Championships in London
USAIN BOLT has raised the bar for the sprinters he leaves behind, insists his British training pal Zharnel Hughes.
The Jamaican superstar, 31 next month, will bring the curtain down on his career at the World Championships in London.
Bolt defends his 100m title on Saturday and will quit after the 4x100m relay on August 12.
He is not running his favoured 200m event – despite being Olympic and world champion and holding the world record of 19.19sec.
And he has admitted his biggest disappointment is not breaking the 19-second barrier.
Hughes, 22, who runs in the 200m for Britain, said: “I know he tried in Rio. I swear to God if I ever see anyone running 18 seconds-something I’d quit!
“Although no, maybe it would drive me on!
“Bolt’s set the standard for us all. His 100m world record of 9.58sec is not a jokey time.
“All of us spend nine months preparing just to run 10 seconds — and this guy strolls in and runs under that.
“His starts are not good but then he slows down near the finish line! But he has set the standard for us to push our limits, to go beyond the comfort zone.”
Hughes trains much of the time at the same track as Bolt in Jamaica.
Hughes added: “Now he is retiring, he comes round a lot and tells me, ‘Zharnel stay focused. Focus on yourself. Don’t try to do too much and have fun’.
“He’s inspirational. I always looked up to him.”
