Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt may now be considered the greatest sprinter of all time, but in 2004 he was dealt a harsh lesson at the Athens Games.

Bolt dominated the Olympic track for eight years, clinching gold in the 100m and 200m in three consecutive Olympic Games between 2008-2016. Bolt also won the 4x100m relay with Jamaica in 2012 and 2016 before retiring from competitions in 2017.

Everyone knew that Bolt was the best and the Jamaican sprinter was aware of that himself, but he failed to reach any finals in his first Olympics back in 2004. Bolt was hindered by an injury but also had a bad attitude, according to sprinting coach Glen Mills, who was hired after the Jamaican icon struggled in Athens.

“That was my first Olympics. If you didn’t follow my career, a lot of people didn’t know I went to the Olympics in 2004 in Athens,” Bolt said on the ‘High Performance‘ podcast. “For me, I was going into that season OK, and I thought I was ready as always!

“Because of my talent, I was like, ‘I’m doing well.’ I did well at the Jamaican trails. And then you get to the Olympics, you meet up with all these guys that have been training all year round and been dedicated to their craft. I didn’t even make it out of the first round.

“The top four would’ve made it to the next round, I came fifth. I did not make it, and for me, that was a little bit of a wake-up call to say, ‘Listen, you have a long way to go.’ If you can’t make it out of the first round at the Olympics and there’s three more rounds, that showed how far behind I was. I felt like I was really talented at the time.”

Back then, Bolt didn’t even compete in the 100m and instead trained for the 200m and 400m. In Athens, Bolt was eliminated in the first round of the 200m but still impressed scouts, who offered him a scholarship to continue training in the United States.

Usain Bolt refused to move to the United States in order to remain in Jamaica.

Usain Bolt refused to move to the United States in order to remain in Jamaica. ( 

Image:

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Bolt refused all proposals in order to stay in Jamaica, and in 2005 hired Mills as his new coach. Mills realized Bolt’s potential as an athlete but focused on adjusting his mindset and attitude. As the head coach of the Jamaican Olympic athletics team, Mills partnered Bolt with experienced sprinters Kim Collins and Dwain Chambers.

There was an instant improvement in Bolt’s performances, but the sprinter requested to run the 100m, to the surprise of Mills. Without any serious training, he ran a 100m dash in 10.03 seconds, and Mills instantly knew that with training, Bolt could become a superstar.

Mills still rotated training drills to ensure that Bolt had the power for the 100m and the stamina for the 200m, and in doing so helped develop the greatest sprinter of all time. While Bolt always had the tools to become the best, his failed Olympic Games were integral to his later success.