Usain Bolt to World: 'I Am Not a Morning Person'

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NBC Sports

The fastest man in the world is also the most relatable.

After Usain Bolt won his 200m heat to advance to the semifinals, NBC caught up with the Jamaican runner to squeeze out any quotes they could. Hey, sprinters sprint for gold, TV interviews interview legendary sprinters for gold. And honestly, we want to hear whatever the man has to say.

So does Bolt think he could go under his world record in the 200m? Just so it's clear: the man is quick but he can't break the barrier of space-time to see the future. Bolt entertained the question anyway.

"I think the second round determines that," he said, catching his breath after coming in 15th with a 20.28s time. "After the semifinals, I can tell what shape I'm in, how I'm feeling. But I knew the first round was going to be rough; it was in the sun, early morning... I'm not a morning person."

Not a morning person??? "Not a morning person" rolls out of bed at noon looking like the lovechild of Billy Idol and a pile of leaves. "Not a morning person" zombie walks five blocks to the local cafe only to pour salt into the wrong order of coffee. "Not a morning person" spends the first two hours of work picking the right emoji for a company-wide email, shuffling through Spotify for the right Santana album, and imagining what Jaime Lannister would look like as a pug. Usain Bolt is "not a morning person" by Olympic standards. Which only makes his feats more impressive. 

In contrast, after winning the 100m on Sunday and becoming the grinning meme to end all grinning memes, Bolt declared himself a "living legend." Objective fact. "Somebody said if I win these three gold medals I would be immortal, and I kind of liked it," he told journalists after the run. "So I'm going to run with that one."

Two days later, he's "not a morning person." We'd feel envious if we weren't in constant awe of this miracle of human nature.

For more things you didn't know about Usain Bolt, read our collection of things you didn't know about Usain Bolt. Not being a morning person is only the tip of the iceberg.

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Matt Patches is Thrillist’s Entertainment Editor. He previously wrote for Grantland, Esquire.com, and Vulture. He is a morning person. Find him on Twitter @misterpatches.