In 2008, Ato Boldon said Usain Bolt had taken track and field into the era of “video game times.” The video games finally caught up.
Bolt is reportedly a limited-time character in Temple Run 2, the mobile device game released earlier this year.
Bolt is seen in his Jamaican national team colors, and he is quite fast in the above video.
“It’s an honor to be a part of such an established game,” Bolt said in an email to the Los Angeles Times. “Many of my fans have told me that I should be a playable character in Temple Run, so when this opportunity was put before me, I had to say YES!”
Fans your suggestions wasn't a waste. Usain Bolt is now a playable character in Temple Run2 #gamechanger#epic#speed pic.twitter.com/STh4bnD91M
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 1, 2013
Bolt will compete at the world championships in Moscow, which run Aug. 10-18. He’s the two-time defending world champion in the 200 meters, and he hopes to win back the 100-meter world title after false starting out of the final in 2011.
He said he’s never been to Russia before, according to Spikes magazine.
“I’ve been listening to a few Russian words, but it’s definitely not an easy language,” he told the magazine. “It’s very different to the way we speak in Jamaica, that’s for sure.”
Bolt said he doesn’t think about the false start in Daegu in 2011 anymore.
“At the time it was very disappointing because I was in great shape and knew that if I had started and run well I would have got a gold medal,” Bolt said. “But that’s behind me now, I learned from it and moved on. Right now, I’m only focusing on Moscow and preparing well for that.”
He also said a world record is possible in Moscow, even though his best times this year (9.85 and 19.73) are nowhere near his top marks (9.58 and 19.19).
“It would require a near-perfect race technically and for the weather conditions to be good, but I’m focused on getting myself in a physical condition where I’m capable of doing it,” he said. “The 200m world record would be the one I’d really love to break again, to see if it’s maybe even possible to get under 19 seconds. That would be something special.”