Usain Bolt's coach opens up on what 'stood out like a sore thumb' about sprinter before turning him into world's fastest man
A former coach who helped transform Usain Bolt into the world's fastest man has opened up on what "stood out like a sore thumb" when he first started working with the Jamaican sprinter.
Glen Mills, who was head coach of the Jamaican national team between 1987 and 2009, was approached by Bolt in late 2004, shortly after he endured a disappointing Olympic debut in Athens.
Bolt would soon complete 100 metres in 10.03 seconds; an impressive time given his lack of explosive training. Mills was impressed, but there was still work to be done on the track to improve those numbers.
In fact, Mills has since revealed what "stood out like a sore thumb" when he first worked alongside Bolt, who would later become the world's fastest man with a 100 metres time of 9.58 seconds.
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After describing Bolt as an "extremely gifted athlete", the 75-year-old coach gave an insight into his so-called "poor mechanics" when running.
"When I started working with him, one of the things that stood out like a sore thumb was his poor mechanics," Mills told Speed Endurance. "He was running behind the centre of balance. This resulted in a negative force against his forward drive and it was affecting other areas."
Mills claimed Bolt's style would continually cause him hamstring problems.
"We set about doing drills," he added. "Then we took videos of his workouts and broke them down on the screen in slow motion to show him exactly what he was doing. I would draw diagrams and show him the position that we are working to achieve."
Such was Bolt's dominance in the coming years, the Jamaican once told one of his biggest rivals that he was "the only man in the world" who could beat him.
Back in 2009, America's Tyson Gay became the second-fastest man in the world when he ran the 100 metres in 9.69 seconds, but a year prior to that achievement, Bolt told fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell that he was "the only man in the world" who could overtake him.
Powell previously set the 100 metres world record on two occasions with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds.
Speaking to The Guardian back in 2011, Powell opened up on the conversations he supposedly had with Bolt.
"I think in the entire world I'm the only person that has always scared him [Bolt]," Powell said.
"He's always been telling me that over the years. I get the truth out of him when he drinks a bit. He gets a bit tipsy and he's like [adopts a slurring voice]: 'Asafa, you're the only man in the world I think can beat me'."
Powell added: "He first told me that in 2008... just before the Olympics. He'd just run 9.72. He said: 'You're the only man in the world who I think can beat me'."
Topics: Usain Bolt, Jamaica, Athletics
Jack Kenmare