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Devout Christian, Usain Bolt, sets Olympic history ablaze

Girlie Ponce Friday, August 19, 2016

In the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, devout Catholic Usain Bolt emerged victorious as the gold medalist of the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relays. The fastest man in the world once again made Olympic history by winning his third consecutive gold medal in the 100-meter and 200-meter finals. He is just one gold away from a triple-triple feat.

Usain Bolt is on his knees and has his eyes up to heaven at the start of a race. | Reuters/Phil Noble

Winning an Olympic medal is a great accomplishment, but bagging the gold three consecutive times for two different events in the Olympics is extremely rare. Yet Bolt, who is turning 30 this weekend and is aptly nicknamed "Lightning Bolt", still has his eyes set on one more gold for the 4x100-meter relay on Friday.

Known for making the sign of the cross before he races, Bolt is devout in his faith. He is described as a "Bible-believing, God-honoring, and Jesus-worshiping Christian," according to Hollow Verse, a site that delves into the religious and political beliefs of influential personalities.

Bolt may not be that vocal about his faith, save for an occasional tweet expressing his gratitude. But his fame and his faith have inspired many including the Vatican, who invited him to speak on global religious liberty in one of the popular TED (technology, entertainment and design) conferences.

Through the Usain Bolt Foundation, the Olympian reaches out to children with the mission of creating "opportunities through education and cultural development for a positive change."

In a CNN Olympic Games report after winning his second Rio Olympics gold medal, Bolt said he doesn't need to prove anything else.

"What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest? I am trying to be one of the greatest. Be among Muhammad Ali and Pele. I hope after these Games I will be in that bracket," Bolt revealed.

Describing his 200-meter run, Bolt shared that he ran hard. "On the straight, my body didn't respond. I'm getting old," he added. His 200-meter winning time was reportedly his slowest in a major final since 2008. When asked if this would be his final Olympics, Bolt said, "I want to say so. I think this is the last one."