WATCH: When Usain Bolt stopped his Olympics interview when the U.S. National Anthem was played

Usain Bolt once stopped an interview in the middle when he heard a national anthem being played at the stadium at the London Olympics 2012.

Bolt, who is known worldwide for his achievements in the field of athletics, has collected eight gold medals at the Olympics. Widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, he is the only athlete to claim the 100m and 200m sprint distances titles in three successive Olympic Games, a feat he achieved in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

Additionally, Usain Bolt's journey at the World Athletics Championships has witnessed him win 14 medals, including 11 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze. However, Bolt is not only renowned for his iconic track career but also admired by many for his humble nature and incredible personality.

One such instance which stands out as a testimony to Bolt's character was when he halted a post-match interview because a national anthem began playing. The U.S. national anthem began playing when Bolt was interviewed by a female reporter as they were exchanging a conversation in the track stadium.

Upon hearing the national anthem of the U.S. being played in the background, he immediately asked the reporter to stop the interview for a moment and stood still for the anthem. Historic Vids, on their X (formerly Twitter) handle, posted this video from the London Olympics 2012 when he successfully defended his title.

This old video of Bolt, reuploaded on February 24, 2024, has garnered over 26K likes, 1k retweets, and 418 comments so far. Many users and fans went on to share how Bolt was not just a great athlete but also a wonderful human being.

Here are some of the reactions that the tweet generated:

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Cricket was Usain Bolt’s first love

Usain Bolt (R) coaches Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb and Aaron Finch during the Gatorade Fastest Run at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 10, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images for Gatorade)

One lesser-known fact about Usain Bolt is that cricket was his first love, and not sprinting. In an interview with The Telegraph in 2016, he revealed his love for the sport, stating:

"I was so in love with cricket I didn’t want to do anything else. Track was just something I was doing because I was good at it, and because I was winning it was, “You should do this.”’

He also mentioned his admiration for some of the greatest stars of the game like Waqar Younis (his favorite cricketer), Courtney Walsh, and Chris Gayle.