Athletics lags in India because its focus is on cricket: Usain Bolt

At what age did you start running? And when did you start harbouring dreams of achieving great things?
My father is a huge cricket fan, but when I got to higher secondary, I had two options – cricket or athletics. My dad said just because of the system in Jamaica, it would be better to take up athletics. He said, "You have to run fast in athletics while it is tougher to get into the national (cricket team)", So blame my dad!

You have achieved almost everything one can think of as an athlete. But are there some dreams that are unfulfilled yet like probably running 200m below 19 seconds, a debut in 400m?
I think running my favourite – the 200m in under 19 is an achievable, but very difficult goal. If I could do that, I think that would be pretty incredible.

What are your plans after finishing your running career? Fancy a stint in cricket or football?
Post Rio, I will have one more season and then I want to travel and may be try my hand at playing football. I love football and I don't know how good I will be – but I'd like to try anyway.

How do you break up your race? The perception is that you start a little slower but make up in that 40m-80m mark and then really hit top gear for last 20m.
Yes – I've always said that I'm a little slower off the blocks than the others because of my height. But once I'm up and ahead – I've won the race. No one can catch me.

While India have shown improvements in various other sports, they are still lagging behind in athletics. What can the country do to produce champions?
I think that the main reason for this is that India is a nation whose main focus is on cricket. It's all about what the main sport in your country is. In Jamaica, everyone wants to run and become an athlete and that is why we have so many talented youngsters who are top athletes. The key to this is making a sport attractive by promoting it. In Jamaica, we have great competition and rivalry amongst schools too and this spurs the youngsters.

How has your first visit to India been? What about the country has caught your eye the most?
It is great to be here and I am happy to see such a huge fan base in India. There are a lot of great young athletes here and as long as I can be a source of inspiration, I am happy. The love shown by the Indian people has been nothing short of amazing.