They call it “To Di World” back in Jamaica, but just about everywhere else, it’s known as Usain Bolt’s signature move — the “Lightning Bolt” or simply “Bolting.” You know the one: one elbow bent, the other arm shooting up toward the sky. Every time Bolt struck that pose, crowds went wild and copied it right away. Honestly, who hasn’t tried it at least once? World leaders, rock stars — even babies! But here’s the thing — there’s actually a hidden story behind that famous pose. And now, a US Olympic legend has decided to spill the secret to the whole track and field world.
Bernard Williams has watched Usain Bolt up close on the track. He’s seen the whole Bolt vs. Gatlin rivalry, too — but he’s not really here to talk about that. What he is ready to talk about, though, is the secret behind Bolt’s iconic pose. To spill the beans, Bernard had to rewind the clock 25 years. But even at 47, he didn’t hesitate or miss a beat when telling the story.
On a recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Bernard Williams took a little trip down memory lane to talk about that iconic pose. According to him, before Usain Bolt ever struck it, he was the one who did it first — way back at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. So what actually went down? Bernard broke it down: “Just branding myself and letting them know, like, no, the Olympics wasn’t just something that was out of control, and we know this is I’m funny. I’m an entertainer; like, that’s what I do. And so I literally just stuck in there. That and Maurice, he was out, you know he’s the—he’s the vet, he and John Drummond. I was like, ‘Hey man, you think it’s he said no man can’t do your thing. I was like, all right.’” And the result?
On September 22, 2000, Bernard Williams threw down the pose, joined by Jon Drummond, Brian Lewis, and Maurice Greene — all celebrating under the Sydney night sky after winning the men’s 4x100m relay final. Meanwhile, what was Usain up to back then? He was just a 14-year-old kid in Jamaica, probably dreaming about track, but definitely not thinking his future signature move was already getting previewed halfway across the world.
Usain Bolt’s Olympic story didn’t kick off until 2004, but way back in 2000, he was already buzzing in Jamaica as a rising track prodigy. The famous pose? Bolt first pulled it out after his victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — but Bernard Williams knows the real deal. He knows Bolt pretty much swiped that move from him. So why didn’t Bernard call him out earlier?
He explained it perfectly: “I got that from Hulk Hogan. But then Usain stole it from me. So I can’t say nothing cuz I stole it from you, saying, ‘Brothers out there know that Bernard Williams stole my pose and now Usain Bolt is doing it.’” Basically, that pose just kept passing from one star to another — Hulk Hogan to Bernard Williams, then on to Usain Bolt. But hang on — the story doesn’t end there. There’s still a little more to this chain of “borrowed” greatness.
Even Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green admitted it — yeah, Usain Bolt pretty much swiped the pose. But Bernard Williams wasn’t done yet. He dropped more details, saying: “Somebody says, ‘Well, he don’t do the finger like this. He just, he clinch the fist and then do the thing over here.’ You like what’s different? You know, you got your finger out. You know, my finger closed. You know.” Basically, the only real difference? The hand posture. Bernard had his finger pointing out, while Bolt went with a clenched fist. Other than that, it was the same move. But here’s the twist — even though it became Bolt’s signature, the pose didn’t always bring cheers. A few times, it actually landed him in the middle of some heavy criticism.
Usain Bolt’s iconic pose has come under scanner
In his autobiography, Usain Bolt shared just how electric the Beijing crowd went every time he pulled off his now-famous pose — arms stretched, one hand pointing to the heavens. He did it twice, and the stadium exploded each time. For Bolt, it felt surreal — to send thousands into a frenzy with just the flick of his fingertips.
But, as legendary as that moment was, it didn’t come without backlash. Bolt wrote about one person in particular who made things tough for him — Jacques Rogge, the IOC President at the time. Rogge wasn’t impressed. After Bolt’s 100m win, Rogge openly criticized the celebration, suggesting it came off as disrespectful to the other athletes. He even told the press, “It would be good not to have a repeat of the ‘Catch me if you can’ gesture,” were Rogge’s words to the press.
BEIJING, CHINA – AUGUST 27: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men’s 200 metres final during day six of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 at Beijing National Stadium on August 27, 2015 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Bolt was floored. He hadn’t meant any harm — and in his book, he made that clear. He explained that his father raised him better than to show up his opponents like that. Still, the criticism stung enough that Bolt actually went over to his fellow Caribbean athletes to check in. Turns out, nobody felt disrespected — just entertained. But that moment taught Bolt something: even a celebration can rub people the wrong way when the spotlight’s that bright.
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