World’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, has been awarded another honorary doctorate, this time by the Brunel University Of London. Brunel was the place that Bolt trained a few times during his career, a fact that was reinforced by University officials as he was given the honorary credentials. Much of it happened in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics, where he delivered world-beating performances scoring three gold medals and cemented his place as the greatest sprinter of all time.
Accepting his award, Bolt told the gathered graduates at Brunel’s Indoor Athletics Centre in Uxbridge: “I want to say to the graduates, hard work does pay off, just remember that the road won’t be easy, there will be ups and downs, and you will fail.”
Despite retiring from professional track and field games in 2017, Bolt still holds the 100m and 200m world records, and was a member of the record holding 4x100m team, which he helped set after preparing at Brunel in 2012. His 100m world record, set in Berlin in 2009, is still over a tenth of a second faster than the second fastest person’s best ever time, and nearly two-tenths of a second faster than 2022’s fastest sprint.
“But always remember, learn from your failure and try again. Never give up on your dream, because as a young man I never knew I’d be this great. Always work hard, dedicate yourself, and remember, anything is possible, don’t take limits,” Bolt said. Speaking via video from Jamaica. “I want to thank Brunel University for this honorary degree, I really appreciate it,’ he said.
“I have only fond memories of training at Brunel, you guys have really helped me to conquer the world, and I must say I really appreciate that,” he continued.
Bolt, 35, who was made a Doctor of the University, or DUniv, was welcomed to the stage by Prof Costas Karageorghis, Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Brunel.
Speaking after the event, the Professor said: “It’s been a delight to welcome Usain back to Brunel to recognize his great achievements, not only on the track but in promoting sport and a positive attitude towards life. As a university, we’re immensely proud to have played even a small part in his journey to greatness, and I’m sure Usain knows he’s welcome back any time!”
Bolt is one of the most decorated athletes in the Caribbean with accolades, such as the Order of Jamaica (OJ) which comes with the designation of “Honorable”, along with the diplomatic title ‘Ambassador-at-Large’, for his outstanding achievements in the field of Sports.
The sprinter turned record producer shared the achievement on his social media on Wednesday with the caption:
I have only fond memories of training at Brunel, you guys have really helped me to conquer the world, and I must say I really appreciate that. “ #CY ⚡️”
Brunel University London is a public research university founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The university is often described as a British plate glass university.
The university is ranked as one of the top 400 universities in the world by QS World University Rankings 2022 and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022.
