Jahvid Best fulfills Olympic dreams, races with Usain Bolt in 100 meter heat

Sometimes football players can have happy endings to their athletic careers. 27 year old Cal great Jahvid Best was able to fulfill that in Rio at the 2016 Olympics by racing in the 100 meter heat for St. Lucia with the fastest man on the planet.

It gave me a bit of a personal thrill to see Best not only race in Rio, but race in the 100 meter freestyle with the best in the world in Usain Bolt. Although Best did not end up qualifying for semifinal heats, he can at least carry the memory with him of being able to race perhaps the greatest track star of our generation.

And with Best deciding to move forward with an international track career for St. Lucia, it can help him strive toward future track events.

“It’s a blessing man,” Best told a small group of reporters. “I only decided to try and run track last year. I had no idea I was going to end up at the Olympics. It’s just been a blessing. What I am using this for is just experience, this is the first time I ran in front of a crowd of more than 500 people at a track event. This is just a blessing for me, and I am looking forward to a bright future. I know I can master this sport like I did football.”

Best ran a 10.39 in the 100 meter dash, a little bit off of his personal best. Bolt ran a 10.07. Only .32 seconds off! Best did not advance to the semifinals.

(WARNING: The first video below shows that awful Oregon State video. Fast forward to 0:08 to avoid it and see his journey to become an Olympian.)

Best has had a hard athletic road post-Cal, suffering from an abbreviated pro career cut short by too many tough injuries. Jahvid returned to Cal to finish his studies but also was a football student assistant for the Bears from 2014 to 2015.

Now many pathways are open for Best. Can’t wait to see what our Golden Bear does next.