Usain Bolt's motor car which crashed along Highway 2000 earlier this year. - file
MONTE-CARLO:
Usain Bolt believes his car accident earlier this year has helped him to focus and perform better this past season.
The 100m and 200m world-record holder escaped serious injuries in April of this year after he crashed his BMW M3 into a ditch in the vicinity of the Vineyards Toll Plaza along Highway 2000. The car flipped a few times before landing upside down, but the Olympic and world Championships star suffered only minor injuries to his feet.
However, the powerful sprinter is counting his blessings and is convinced that the incident helped him to his all-conquering season that saw him better his own records at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, only four months later.
Worked harder
Said Bolt, "I think that (accident) let me work harder this season because I had missed so much ... so it helped me to work a little bit harder, to put in a little more effort."
Asked if the car crash helped him to concentrate a little more on his objectives, Bolt, who on Sunday was named World Male Athlete of the Year for his stunning 9.58 and 19.19 clockings to capture the World Championships sprint double, said: "I definitely think so because I had missed a little bit of training because of my arrangement with my contract and then the accident another week and a half, so I was forced to refocus and coach (Glen Mills) kind of adjusted the programme a little bit."
Bolt, who ended the season unbeaten in all his events, described it as an "amazing year for me. I did extremely well and I have to thank my coach, he pushed me and stood behind me 100 per cent".
Bolt