Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the fastest man in history, has crossed paths with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. Yet, according to the eight-time Olympic gold medalist, there’s only one celebrity who truly left him starstruck.
Usain Bolt shared this candid moment in an interview with Sports Bible. Despite having met sporting legends such as basketball icon Michael Jordan and football’s Diego Maradona, Bolt confessed that it was global music superstar Beyoncé who momentarily left him speechless.
Bolt recounted meeting the iconic singer during an NBA All-Star weekend, a gathering that typically attracts A-list celebrities from every corner of the entertainment world.
“At the basketball all-star weekend, I met Jay-Z for the first time and we had a conversation,” Bolt recalled.
“Then he said, ‘Oh, meet my wife.’ I say ‘hello’ and I’ve got things planned in my head that I’m going to say to her. Nothing. I just said ‘hi.’ That’s it.”
Beyoncé’s towering success in the music industry, with over 260 million records sold both as a solo artist and as a member of Destiny’s Child, has earned her mononym status and worldwide recognition. It seems even a man considered a global icon in his own right isn’t immune to the awe of meeting Queen Bey.
Bolt’s track achievements continue to spark debate in athletics circles. To this day, he holds the world records for both the 100m and 200m sprints, clocking an astonishing 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds respectively during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. His record in the 4x100m relay remains untouched.
However, the sporting world still questions whether anyone will ever break Bolt’s records. Rising sprint sensation Gout Gout, a teenage phenom from Australia, has already matched some of Bolt’s junior milestones. Gout will make his senior debut this September at the World Championships in Tokyo, facing Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson. Athletics enthusiasts are closely monitoring his progress and wondering if the sport will finally crown a worthy successor to Bolt’s throne.
Former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin added to the intrigue by running a 9.45-second publicity stunt assisted by powerful wind machines. While impressive in spectacle, it did little to threaten Bolt’s authentic world record times.
As athletics gears up for the next generation of sprinters, Usain Bolt’s legacy remains intact.
