Usain Bolt Opens Up on Hidden Health Battle After Sprint Career

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Usain Bolt Opens Up on Hidden Health Battle After Sprint Career

The Olympic legend shared a candid update about his health following his iconic career.

Usain Bolt says he 'gets out of breath' when he walks up the stairs in a shock admission following his retirement.

Bolt enjoyed a legendary sprint career, notably winning eight Olympic gold medals across three Summer Games.

He also won an impressive 14 medals at the World Athletics Championships, including a stunning 11 gold medals.

And Bolt's time of 9.58 seconds is still a 100m world record.

The Jamaican icon dominated the track and was a sprint machine at the peak of his powers until he retired after the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

But the wear and tear over the years has taken its toll on Bolt's body.

In a recent interview, he said he 'gets out of breath' when he walks up the stairs in what is a far cry from where he was at in his athletic prime.

The 39-year-old said: "I mostly do gym workouts."

Usain Bolt 'gets out of breath' when he walks up the stairs after enjoying a legendary sprint career. Image: Getty
Usain Bolt 'gets out of breath' when he walks up the stairs after enjoying a legendary sprint career. Image: Getty

Bolt, who no longer runs after he ruptured his Achilles in 2024, continued: "I’m not a fan, but I think now that I’ve been out for a while, I have to actually start running because, when I walk up stairs, I get out of breath.

"I think when I start working on it fully again, I will probably have to do some laps just to get my breathing right."

Usain Bolt acknowledges the crowd at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Image: Getty
Usain Bolt acknowledges the crowd at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Image: Getty

Nowadays, Bolt only works out if he is in a good mood and spends most of his time watching series and chilling with his three kids.

"Normally, I wake up just in time to see the kids off to school, and then it depends on what I have to do," he added. "If I have nothing to do, I just chill out. I might work out sometimes if I’m in a good mood.

"I just watch some series and chill until the kids come home.

"I spend some time with them, hang out, until they start annoying me then I leave. And then afterwards, I just stay at home and watch movies, or I’m into Lego now, so I do Lego."

Despite Bolt's condition, he's flown out to Tokyo, Japan, for this year's World Athletics Championships and was seen in the crowd for the 100m heats.

Featured Image Credit: Puma

Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics