Linford Christie’s opinion shouldn’t be taken lightly. The former Olympian is the only British athlete to have won gold in the 100m in Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was one of the great sprinters of his generation and arguably the greatest Team GB has ever seen.
“I much prefer being retired now and watching everyone else compete, it’s far less stressful,” he jokes during a chat in Paris with MARCA. “Running was far too stressful, now I just sit back and relax.”
Christie won an Olympic gold in Barcelona 1992 and at 32-years and 121 days old, he became the oldest man to do so by four years and 38 days, with a time of 9.96 seconds. “At the time I thought ‘shit, what have I done?’ Weirdly, I was expecting to feel complete euphoria, but it never came. I think I was expecting too much,” says the Brit, struggling to contain his laughter when looking back on his greatest triumph. Just a year after winning the gold, aged 33, he recorded his fastest time ever of 9.87 in the Stuttgart World Championships.
Christie now enjoys the games from the sidelines and like many of us, can’t wait to watch the final of the 100 meters. He was quick to shut down the possibility of Usain Bolts’ record being broken. “I don’t think anyone this year is going to break Bolt’s record. It’s a phenomenal record and I think it’s going to be around for a long time,” explained the former gold medalist. “I mean, I’m not saying that there’s a limit about fast people can run because I think people will eventually run faster. Just look at how records have been broken over the years. Take Jesse Owens for example. If you said in 1936 when Jesse Owes ran that someone would run 9.58 seconds in the 100m, you’d be committed to a mental asylum for being crazy. So, of course, you’ve always got to train with that in mindset that you can run faster, but this year, I don’t think so.”
I don’t think anyone this year is going to break Bolt’s record. It’s a phenomenal record and I think it’s going to be around for a long time
Linford Christie
In Paris, there’s one man who believes he can get close to Bolts record… and that man is Noah Lyles. The American sprinter, who insists on ‘speaking things into existence’, is the favorite to take home the gold in both the 100m and the 200m. “I think Noah has great potential and ultimately everything comes down to mindset. Noah is very good at playing mind games and he pulls everybody out of this zone so when they run against him you must be ready,” says Christie. “I think there could be a surprise on the cards. Just look at Tokyo. Everyone expected him [Lyles] to win the 200 meters and he didn’t. Noah increases the pressure on himself to win by saying things that a lot of people don’t like. I have always thought that you must not upset your opponent because it gives them 10% more adrenaline and energy to beat you. I like the look of the quiet guys. Look at Andre de Grasse, he just goes about his business. The Jamaicans they’re quiet. It’s never a good idea to say you’re going to win.” Lyles ran a personal (9.81) best in the last diamond league meet before the Olympic games which means he still needs to shave off a significant chunk of time to even get close to Bolt’s record of 9.58.
Another man Christie is keeping an eye on is fellow Brit Zharnel Hughes who, after running 9.83 in the 100m in New York in 2023, broke Christie’s British record. It was a record that had stood for more than 30 years. “I love Zharnel, he is such a nice kid. But the thing is, nice guys don’t win. I’m trying to get him to be more aggressive and to believe in himself a bit more because I genuinely believe he can go out there and do the job. But in order to win, he must believe deep down that he’s capable of winning. I’m rooting for him, to be honest,” says Christie
Looking ahead to the final, the former champion believes there is no clear favorite. In his words, it’s ‘anyone’s game’. “Anyone in the final can win. It’s no longer the days of Bolt when everyone was speculating over who was going to come second. This race is wide open. Anyone can win it. It all comes down to who believes he can win it most. Noah [Lyles] is just one of eight guys.”
Each one of those eight runners will attempt to achieve the ultimate goal and crown themselves Olympic champion, just as Christie did in 1992.