Growth Mindset Assemblies (5) Excellence – Usain Bolt

Who has heard the name Usain Bolt before? Who can do his lightning bolt celebration? The fastest man on earth is known the world over. He has always strived for excellence and shows no sign of stopping.

When Usain started school he was much more interested in cricket and football, but his cricket coach noticed how fast he was and sent him in the direction of the running track, a move that would change the face of world athletics forever.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Jamaican sprinter broke the world and Olympic records in both the100 and 200 metre events. He also set a 4×100 metre relay record with the Jamaican team, making him the first man to win three sprinting events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984.

But Usain believed he could do even better. He set himself new goals and wanted to set new records. In 2009 he did just that, breaking his own 100 and 200 metre world records. After all his success, people questioned if he would have enough hunger and drive to repeat his heroics when the Olympics came around again.

(Play youtube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O7K-8G2nwU)

At London 2012, after months of dedicated training, Usain once again stormed his way to gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres, gathering millions of more fans with his confidence and charm. He inspired his Jamaican teammates to rise to the occasion too as they once again took the 4x100 metre gold.

With Rio 2016 just around the corner, people wonder if he can do it again. One thing is for sure, if he continues to show the relentless dedication and commitment to reaching his goals that he has so far in his career, he will be extremely difficult to beat.