The world’s fastest athlete, 28 year old, Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt was in Bengaluru on Tuesday to formally launch sports lifestyle brand Puma’s new brand positioning – Forever Faster, in India. The sprinter who has rightly earned the nickname Lightning Bolt, commands a fan following of 6-60 year olds, is the highest paid athlete and the most marketable one especially, after winning three gold medals at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. Business Line caught up with Bolt to find out what it takes to be a winner, his mantra for success and what it would take for Indian athletes to compete at the Olympics, among other things. Some excerpts from the interaction:

You’ve been the fastest man on Earth for long. What keeps you on this winning streak?

My motivations are very different. I want to be the best and I am a very competitive person, continuously striving for the best and that’s the key.

What is your mantra for success?

In life, you always make goals for yourself. Because I want to be the best in the world, I set very high standards for myself and then I try and work towards it. That’s how I make sure that I continue to be the very best.

Is it more mind over matter for you, now that you are in peak form?

It’s all physical initially - how you perform, the training you put in, etc. But the mental aspect is also very important and contributes to 50 per cent of my success. I’ve seen people in great physical condition crack under great pressure, so it is really important to keep the mind calm and clear.

Any advice for the person who finishes last in a race?

I always try to aim for my personal best. So, I would tell the person to try to get his personal best all the time, even if he finishes last in the race. If he finishes last but does better than his previous best attempt, that is good enough. Finishing last is all about figuring out, what did I do wrong and how can I better my performance. This is how you must motivate yourself. It’s how I motivated myself when I got into the professional circuit when I came second, third or fourth in a race.

What would it take for Indian athletes to compete in the Olympics?

The thing with Indians is that they are focused on cricket. Therefore, there won’t be a lot of great athletes in the country. To see more talent coming into athletics, India must focus on setting up big championships around athletics like they do for T-20 Cricket, which is huge here. The more you promote it across different parts of the country, the more talent you will spot and the more driven the sportsmen will be to perform better. It’s all about pushing the sport across India.

How long will you continue to compete?

After the Rio Olympics in 2016, I will do one more season and then I will try my hand at football.

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