Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt says it is “too late” for a comeback but admits he has “got that itch” for a dramatic return to the sport.
The Jamaican, 35, ended his glittering track and field career in 2017.
He says he was tempted by a possible return for the Tokyo Games, but his coach persuaded him otherwise.
“It’s too late. If I was going to come back it would have been to be for this Olympics,” he told BBC Sport’s Ade Adedoyin.
“When I told my coach I was going to retire he sat me down and said ‘when you retire that’s it. I’m not doing any comeback tours, nothing. So make sure you are ready to retire’.
“I remember I went to him in 2019 and said ‘what do you think about coming back for the Olympics?’ And he looked at me and said ‘don’t even start’.
“So if it’s not my coach, I’m not going to do it, because I believe in him and if he says no, it’s no – but I’ve got that itch though.”
