For Bangladesh captain Litton Das, the Olympic moments that stayed with him were not the long contests but the few seconds of explosive action provided by Usain Bolt.
Litton said he never considered himself a fan of any particular Olympic athlete, but the Jamaican sprinter was someone he would make a point of watching whenever athletics was on.
“I wasn’t really a fan of anyone at the Olympics. But when I watched swimming and athletics, I watched Usain Bolt’s events,” Litton told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.
The appeal, he explained, was partly the contrast with cricket, where matches can stretch over several hours.
“What I enjoyed was that it was short and sharp. Who would watch cricket for that long? In any event, people are more attracted to short and sharp results. And Usain Bolt is a big name in athletics, so I used to watch him,” he said.
Bolt’s status as one of the most recognisable figures in athletics was built on performances that combined speed with an almost immediate payoff for spectators. He remains the world-record holder in both the 100m and 200m, clocking 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds respectively at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
The Jamaican also won eight Olympic gold medals across three Games before retiring from athletics in 2017.
Litton’s comments came ahead of Bangladesh’s men’s cricket campaign at the Asian Games in Japan. The Tigers will depart on September 24 and enter the competition at the quarter-final stage on September 29.
Bangladesh’s men won gold at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, the country’s only cricket gold at the continental event. Litton has said the current side’s immediate objective is to reach the final.
The squad has already completed fitness and skill sessions and played two practice matches as part of its preparation for the tournament.
