Jamie Reidy comments on Usain Bolt’s – the World’s Fastest Man – decision to dump his girlfriend in order to focus on training for the Olympics.
The Globe and Mail’s Dave McGinn reports that the defending Olympic 100M champion and pride of Jamaica is running solo:
The runner cannot afford any distractions in the lead up to the Games, unidentified sources close to Mr. Bolt told the newspaper. “He will have plenty of time for relationships. At the moment he’s concentrating on his running career and doesn’t want anything to distract from that,” a source said, according to the London Sun.
“No woman, no fly”?
This is nothing new, of course. Rocky Balboa famously pushed a horny Adrian away when she tried to seduce him in his kitchen, saying, “Women weaken legs.”
btw, if a lot of Olympians follow Bolt’s lead and give up sex, then their country’s athletic trainers will have to order a ton more hand lotion for the Olympic Village than they had anticipated. In fact, Jergen’s, or another enterprising lotion company, should look into sponsoring “Alone Time”…
Would you dump your girlfriend in order to go for the gold?
Photo by: Brunel University
I don’t see a problem with this. Professional ballet dancers find they have to eschew relationships altogether because they spend twelve hours a day dancing, and by the time they get home, they are far too tired and sore to do anything else. And I can imagine it’s the same thing for someone training for the Olympics. It’s a short-lived career, so you gotta give your all while you can.
Referring to another article on GMP – perhaps he was evacuating Pompeii before Vesuvius?
Building a life in academia has required several of my colleagues to separate over work and studies. Usian Bolt is a professional runner, and we are teachers and “professional students”. Simply put, there are some professions and periods in professional development during which it is extremely difficult to balance the responsibilities of work and partnership, and that is OKAY. This is no different from my mutual friends splitting up as one has decided to move across the country for school. There are times in every person’s life when he or she must prove between personal development or developing alongside another… Read more »
Good for him. Nothing but meaningless sex for him over the next few months….
Um.. Mr. Bolt had a few more issue than just the olympics. He was catching a lot of heat beause the girlfriend in question was white and much of the black community was having issues with that.
Breaking up with her to train for the Olympics feels more like a face-saving measure than anything else.
Considering that the woman isn’t owed a relationship with him, and they weren’t married (I assume) I’m having a hard time seeing a problem with this.
Frankly, one could argue he did her a kindness, since the alternative is being “ignored” for the next few months. At least now she is free to pursue another relationship if she wishes.
Very good point. He’s doing a responsible thing, in a way.
I sort of put a hold on my relationship with my BF, now husband, for 3 years while I did intensive career training…for both of us at the time, it was the most practical thing to do….although some of the other women in my same program maintained relationships and marriages and even kids! I guess it depends on the individual person, doesn’t it? No one told me to break up with my BF….it was my decision to fly far away to concentrate on what I needed to do for my career….I guess if it’s a relationship that’s meant to be,… Read more »
It kind of begs the question is there any illegitimate reasons to break up with someone? I tend to think that relationships are voluntary. Too many people try to hold on to a relationship for selfish reasons and cheat. He’s being upfront about what he wants and I see no problem with that. As far as whether I would do it, it depends on whether I’ve decided that I want to make a life with her. Realizing a life’s dram is more important than a girlfriend I’m not sure about, but family is more important than a medal. I would… Read more »
It kind of begs the question is there any illegitimate reasons to break up with someone? You know if anything the reaction that some feminists had to Cee Lo’s song “Fuck You” (recactions that included a response song that was something like “No, Fuck You”) taught me anything that the bar for breaking up with or choosing not to be with someone is a very open ended thing. If its okay to for a woman to pick one guy over another because of men then its perfectly okay for a guy to dump his girlfriend in order to pursure his… Read more »
it depends upon your priorities. I had no romantic relationships during university, it was my decision. A number of my friends, even my parents, were dubious but I wanted to succeed at my studies and not be distracted. I dare say training for gold medals at the Olympics is a tough undertaking and I understand Bolt not wanting distractions.
A relationship with another person is no longer the be-all and end-all of a life. Some people have other priorities.
It’s not working out so well for Tiger.
Tiger needs to get himself a harem. Then all would be just fine.
Of course it’s ok. It isn’t the sex necessarily but that the time spent training means time away from your partner. This almost always leads to drama and a lack of focus. How do I know – I dumped my girlfriend for the same reason when I was a teen.
I know a couple of people who have gone to/trained for the olympics and they’ve all given up their relationships beforehand. It’s like holding off on marriage/kids for the sake of your career, but for a smaller, more intense period of time. When you’re preparing for that level of competition it requires all of your focus and attention, and you’re generally flying around the world to compete in qualifying events. You will not be spending much time with your partner, and the time you do spend will rarely be “quality” time. Many prospective olympians break up beforehand to avoid subjecting… Read more »
I can’t help but think if the genders were reversed and it was a women sprinter breaking up with her boyfriend, she would be a strong woman who knows what she wants and isn’t going to let a man hold her back. So, that’s the model for my reaction – he’s a strong person who knows what he wants and isn’t going to let someone else hold him back.
Basically.
If this were swapped people would be going nuts over the idea that a man thought that he was more important that a woman’s Olympic dreams, and of course through in the usualy lingo about oppression, privilege, misogyny, and so on. (But in fairness some people probably would think that she should give it up for her man.)
state yo sources foo. Give me an example instead of speculation. You may expect that because of your bias on public perception, but I challenge you to prove it.
Any instance in which a woman decides to put career over family and has to put with detractors that act like she grew a second head because she dares not to make finding a man and having babies her number one priority. If I’m not mistaken there are lots of people that would defend this woman on the ground that she should be free to live her life as she chooses right?
In certain quaters, if a man does it, it’s questioned, if a woman does it, she’s empowered.
I think he just didn’t like his girlfriend, which is OK…
Also I think he can date, or not date, whoever he likes. You guys are finding sexism where there is none.
who really gives a Sh*t either way?