Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. He has been the fastest man in the world by a lot for quite a few years now. Unlike many of the events at the Olympics, track and field (and swimming), are very easy to quantify for the layman. You don’t need to know how hard those twists were, or what constitutes good form, you just need to see who jumps that farthest, the highest, or crosses the finish line first. In Usain Bolt’s case, he makes the rest of the field seem so much slower. Bolt gets a lot of love, and his winning smile doesn’t hurt. But he gives back to the sport and other athletes in the sport that has given him so much. Last year in Rio, in the run up to this summer’s Olympics, Bolt joined the three-time Paralympic sprinting champion Terezinha Guilhermina as her guide for an exhibition.
Bolt was in the host city of next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote the Mano a Mano Challenge at the Brazilian Jockey Club and, grinning all the way, joined with Guilhermina to take part in a 50m sprint.
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“It was a dream come true,” said Guilhermina, who won 100m and 200m gold at the London 2012 Games and 200m gold at the Beijing 2008 Games. “He was a little uncertain at the start, afraid that I might fall over or that he would run too fast. This shows how much respect events like this bring to Paralympic athletes.
"Running with him [Bolt] is a joy for any athlete. Bolt is a reference in the sport and I'm happy to have participated in this race. I fulfilled a dream."
Blind sprinters in the Paralympics run tethered to guides, and not unlike Bolt, Guilhermina is miles ahead of her competition.
Here’s a small Instagram clip of the two running. And below is a larger one.
Here’s Guilhermina’s Gold Medal run in the Women’s 200m at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.