What is it like to party with Usain Bolt? Former sprinter opens up

Former British sprinter, Montell Douglas, has shared a glimpse into what it was like celebrating alongside sprint legend Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympic Games, a moment she says she will never forget.

Douglas had travelled to Beijing in the form of her life after clocking 11.05 seconds to become the fastest woman in British history.

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Representing Team Great Britain (GB), she competed in the 100 meters and was also part of the 4x100m relay squad that reached the final.

Her strong performances on the track were followed by a memorable off-track experience; celebrating with Bolt at his 22nd birthday party after the Jamaican had completed his historic sprint treble.

Recalling the moment Douglas said the celebration came at a unique point in both their careers.

“A really cool time was partying with Usain Bolt at his 22nd birthday party. We were at the Olympic Games together. We were the same age and at our first Olympic Games. He’d just won the treble and become a history maker,” she said to Sporf.

“It was an epic moment for everyone who watched it and everyone who was there. To be a part of that celebration is something I will never forget. He was not the superstar Bolt that we know now, because he would just started out. To see how far he went, doing it three times over, is just incredible,” she continued.

While representing Team GB at the Summer Olympics was a landmark achievement, Douglas’ sporting journey did not end on the track.

A decade later, she returned to the Olympic stage in a completely different discipline, bobsleigh, competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Reflecting on the transition, the now 40-year-old described it as both daunting and exhilarating.

“What do I do? I just run fast in a straight line on the track, go onto the ice, perfect, I can do that. The transition from sprinting into bobsleigh was a very steep learning curve, you cannot describe it,” she said.

“I went down for the first time, stood at the top of the mountain, and asked my coach, ‘Can I die’? He said, ‘Meh’, and that was enough for me. I went down and was not sure that I loved it, but I did it again, because you have to do it twice, and I thought, ‘This is pretty cool.

You are going down ice mountains; it’s a mile long. We call it Formula 1 on ice. You need incredible resilience. You have to be mentally tough or crazy to do it,” she added.

Now retired from competition, Douglas has transitioned into punditry and is looking forward to the upcoming Games.

She expects Team GB to deliver strong performances and has tipped several athletes, including skeleton world champion Matt Weston to contend for gold.