by Justin Lowe
Olympic megastar sprinter Usain Bolt gets his close-up in this dynamic documentary.
Athletic achievements don’t get much more unbeatable than the records held by Jamaican runner Usain Bolt, who’s won nine consecutive Olympic gold medals and even more World Championship awards.
Considered the fastest sprinter who’s ever logged track time, Bolt is a hero to millions and admired on a level comparable to global sports legends like Muhammad Ali and Pele.
I Am Bolt presents a dynamic, consistently engaging portrait of the mediagenic track star, and even if it’s sometimes too laudatory, there are also many moments of heartfelt sentiment throughout the film, which should thrill his legions of fans following release in theaters worldwide.
Like any other athlete, his career had to start somewhere and for Bolt it all began with running track at his rural high school.
The sprinter jokes that he started competing so he could win free lunches from fellow runner and best friend Nugent “NJ” Walker, now his manager (and a producer on the film). After garnering his first gold medal for the 200-meters at the 2002 World Junior Championships at the age of 15, Bolt began training full time, eventually earning a spot on the Jamaican national team.
Qualifying for world and regional competitions became routine for Bolt after he went pro in 2004, but he had to train hard and prove both his ability and competitive spirit before earning a spot on the Jamaican Olympic team for the 2008 Beijing summer games, where he grabbed gold for both the 100- and 200-meter races, as well as for his spot on the 100-meter relay team.
World championship awards followed before Bolt returned to the Olympics four years later in London, where he repeated his medaling feat, as he did for an unprecedented third time at the Rio games this summer. Throughout his career, he’s also set repeated world records in the 100- and 200-meter events. . . .
To read the full piece from The Hollywood Reporter, click here.