It’s not often you’ll see a retired athlete instantly become the biggest drawcard at an event- but where Usain Bolt goes, fans flock.

Eight months after retiring from competition, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist has been the centre of attention since touching down on the Gold Coast in his role as Commonwealth Games ambassador.

And it’s not just fans who love the man dubbed “Lightning Bolt”: the legendary figure has inspired not just fellow sprinters, but athletes from a wide range of sports, to make it big on the world stage.

“Bolt is definitely a role model for me,” South African long jumper Ruswahl Samaai said.

“He’s always been one of the guys that I look up to in terms of sport.

“He brought a lot of hype and excitement, and also a lot of sponsorship. He makes the people happy- a lot of spectators came back into the sport because of Bolt.”

Samaai was only sixteen when Bolt won the first of his Olympic golds, in Beijing in 2008, young enough for the charismatic Jamaican to be a hero to aspire to be as well as an athlete to compete alongside.

But even those old enough to remember a time before Bolt can only admire his impact on world athletics.

“He’s quite an inspiration to so many athletes,” Cameroonian wrestler Claude Kouamen Mbianga, five years Bolt’s senior, said.

“I think I am older than he is and he’s still an inspiration to me.”

As for the man himself, while the thirst to compete remains, the champ says he is enjoying the next stage of his life.

“I know I’m gonna miss the competition, I know I’m gonna miss the crowd, because it’s something that really drives me and I really enjoy,” Bolt said.

“But for me personally I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to, and this is why I want to move on to something else.

“I’m just happy to be here, at the Commonwealth Games, just to be a spectator and see it from a spectator’s standpoint.”

Bolt’s retirement in late 2017 sparked fears of declining interest in international athletics, but the sprinter is confident a new champion will soon step up to fill the void.

“I said to a few athletes that this is your time, the sport needs somebody else to step up and be that person,” he said.

“I feel in time some young person will come along and if they have the same work ethic, talent, and they want it as bad as I wanted it, then the possibility’s there [to break my records].”

But maybe not for a while- he’s still happy to hold his position at the top of the sport.

“Hopefully not too soon, though,” he added.