Usain Bolt wants to see a world full of holograms, and talks tech

Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, 35, talks about working his abs with Peloton and why he’ll never be karaoke king.

How techy are you when it comes to fitness?

I have a Peloton Bike+, so I do classes at home. I’ve had it four or five years now, since I retired, and I keep it in my fitness room. I use it every single day to stay fit and stay in shape – or I should use it every day. There are different classes. I do some abs classes, but I mostly do cycling for the cardio.

What’s the biggest tech change you’ve seen in your lifetime?

I think it’s smartphones. They keep getting smarter.

Have you bought any tech that’s been disappointing?

Somebody bought me a microphone one time, but I didn’t use it. I’m not a good singer, so I stayed away from that.

When drones started coming out, I thought they were awesome. I got one, but it wasn’t that good. It took forever to calibrate, and every time I flew it, I had to recalibrate it again. So after a while I stopped using it and just left it in my garage. It’s probably still there.

What tech is on your wish list?

A brand new car. There’s so many, but I’ve always wanted an Audi RS 7 Sportback. I rented a Rolls-Royce Phantom recently and I liked that. Maybe I should get one when I buy my next car.

What tech did you like as a child?

Video games. As a child I played a lot of video games. Any video games that came out, that was me. Nintendo 64 was my favourite.

What tech is best for travel?

I don’t travel with my PlayStation because I never spend much time in one place, and it’s heavy, so it makes no sense to lug it around.

My girlfriend actually bought me this gaming set that I can travel with, which was pretty cool. It’s called GAEMS and I can play it when I’m on a plane.

How important was tech to you as a runner?

When I was a runner, it was never about tech. My coach always wanted us to just focus on competing and getting things done.

I had my headphones and I could listen to music on my way to the track, but when I got there, and it was time to warm up, there was no music after that.

What’s your favourite gadget?

I’ve just got into using Apple AirPods Max and now I’m a massive fan. They’re big headphones that block out all sound and they’re very good for using with my iPhone.

What tech would you like to see more of in the future?

Holograms. They can be used like Zoom, but with a hologram it’s much more personal because it feels like the person is right near you. They’re great, especially for doing interviews around the world.

What’s the most expensive tech you’ve bought?

Probably my TVs. I have several TVs in my house; some Samsung, some LG, some Sony. I’ve no idea how much they cost. If I want something I go into the shop, get what I want, and go.

I’m not the type of person that does research. I just go in and say: ‘Alright, what’s the best TV I can have? Is it 4K? Is it smart? OK, give me this TV.’

What’s your go-to tech for playing music?

I don’t really have a stereo. I play music through my phone, into the speaker. I have a few speak-ers. I like my JBL Flip 5 and my Bose SoundLink speakers.

What tech can’t you live without?

Oh my God, my phone and my iPad. I can’t live without both of those. I have an iPhone 12, just a regular one because I like the smaller phones. I don’t like the big ones. I don’t know which iPad I have, I just have the biggest one.

What tech would you invent if you could?

I would love to invent something to easily find the TV remote. I always keep losing my remote.

Usain Bolt appeared as a 4k hologram to celebrate Virgin Media completing the rollout of gigabit broadband to its entire network of more than 15.5 million homes across the UK.

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