Quick Links
Usain St. Leo Bolt, known as Usain Bolt, is a Jamaican sprinter and the only athlete in the world who has won gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games. He is considered the greatest sprinter of all time, and his charm and humor has made him a superstar athlete. Bolt has always been a sports fanatic; however, his interests were in different fields. His dedication and focus brought him to sprinting and made him the top sprinter in the world. After smashing multiple records and winning tournaments, he became the face of various brands. He has amassed a $90 million net worth through competitions, ventures, and brand endorsements.
While Bolt always knew he would end up with a career in sports, running the track was third on the list. He has managed to become everyone’s favorite athlete from hard work and sheer will. Let’s look at the success story of the fastest human on Earth.
Starting Young
Born in Sherwood Content in a town called Trelawny Parish in Jamaica, Usain Bolt came from a middle-class family. His parents ran a local grocery store while spending his days with his siblings. He attended the Waldensia Primary School and became the fastest runner there by the age of 12. When he attended Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt excelled in cricket and soccer; however, his fast-running speed outshone his other talents. After the persuasion of his cricket coach, Bolt tried for Track and Field, as stated by the Olympics.
His career as a track athlete started steadily as he began winning medals at high school championships around his country. After setting International Records at CARIFTA Games and Central American and Junior Caribbean Championships, the Prime Minister of Jamaica moved Bolt to Kingston to begin training with the best.
At 15, Bolt won the 200-meter race at the 2002 World Junior Championship and became the youngest world-junior gold medalist. The following year, he won four gold medals at the CARIFTA Games and set a world record at the 2003 World Youth Championships. Bolt had already begun gaining popularity in Jamaica; however, the world was yet to discover Usain Bolt.
A Stroke Of Lightning Into Stardom
Usain Bolt trained with coach Fitz Coleman and became a professional runner by 2004. He was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy at the CARIFTA Games for being the Most Outstanding Player to ever play in the tournament. Despite suffering a hamstring injury, Bolt was selected to become a part of the Jamaican Olympic team for the 2004 Athens Olympics. As mentioned by Celebrity Net Worth, his injury came to haunt him, and he was eliminated from the first round of the 200-meter.
Based on his performance at World Championships, Bolt was offered scholarships to train in the US while representing his country, but he refused out of loyalty. He studied in Jamaica at the University of Technology and continued setting records at World Championships. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt won gold in 100-meter, 200-meter, and the 4x100-meter relay races and became the first man since Carl Lewis to achieve this feat. He also became the first-ever man to set world records in all three categories with 9.69 seconds, 19.30 seconds, and 37.10 seconds, respectively.
He broke his 100-meter and 200-meter sprint world record at the 2009 World Championships and won two gold medals. A heavy favorite amongst the crowd for the 2011 World Championships, Bolt claimed a gold medal in the 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay, however, a false start disqualified him from the 100-meter race. At the 2012 London Olympics, Bolt defended his titles and won gold for the 100-meter and 200-meter races, the first Olympiad to win the titles for two consecutive years.
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bolt won golds in 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter relay and became the first Olympian to win golds in two individual sprint categories for three straight Olympics, as noted by Britannica. Bolt retired from sprinting in 2017 after suffering a severe hamstring injury and announced his retirement from sports in 2019.
A Superstar Even Post-Retirement
Usain Bolt has become one of the highest-paid athletes globally, earning $20 million every year. $9 million of his annual earnings come from Puma, who pay him to wear their shoes. He earns $300,000 for making track appearances. According to USA Today, Bolt has entered the music world and produced several songs. The athlete wants to bring Jamaica’s dancehall genre to the mainstream audience worldwide.
He is a known philanthropist who founded the Usain Bolt Foundation that has invested millions of dollars in developing communities in health and education. He donated his $20 million earrings from the 2016 Rio Olympics to his school in Jamaica when they suffered financial cuts. He has supported 20 rural schools in Jamaica through his foundation and recently donated printers and projectors to several primary schools in his home country. Bolt has been dating Kasi Bennett for several years and has three children for his personal life. His daughter Olympia Lightning was born in May 2020, and in June 2021, the couple had twin boys, St. Leo and Thunder.
Usain Bolt loves sports. While great athletes idolized people growing up, Bolt enjoyed the competition. He has been primarily responsible for bringing new fans to track, and field and his charming personality is well-liked by everyone. Even though Usain Bolt has retired from sports, his legacy will live as one of the great Olympic sprinters of all time.
Sources: Olympics, Celebrity Net Worth, Britannica, USA Today
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmq6GTnXqxu9aeqZ%2BtnGTBqbGMcmxxZZ2WtKqvjKGmsGWlqK6quoybpqWsXZeypK3MnmStoJVis6K%2F056qrWWdlrtuu81mnJqqpJ18