Former Jamaican 100m and 200m Olympic Champion Usain Bolt touched down in Sydney last week to begin a 6-week long trial period with Australian outfit Central Coast Mariners. The 32 year old had his first training session with his new teammates on his birthday on Tuesday. He could feature for the first time in yellow and navy when the Mariners play a pre-season friendly against a Coast select next Friday.
Bolt is no stranger to the sport having had spells training with German giants Borussia Dortmund, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and Stromsgodset in Norway since retiring from the track last year. The 8-time Olympic gold medalist is an avid football fan, and a Manchester United supporter. He has lofty ambitions to make it as a pro in the sport, despite being relatively old in football terms.
The Mariners, who finished bottom of the Australian A-League last year will offer Bolt a year long deal if he shows he can cut it as a professional during his 6 week stint at the club. Their Chief Executive has insisted that Bolt’s arrival on Gosford, a small city on Australia’s central coast (about 50 miles from Sydney) is not a publicity ‘stunt’ or ‘gimmick’ reiterating that it is only a trial period Bolt has been offered to allow the club to assess his skills before deciding whether he is good enough to make the grade.
It will be an interesting few weeks for Bolt as he attempts to impress coaches enough to land himself a pro contract. Keep your eyes peeled to see whether he can be the latest athlete to successful transition from the track into a new sport.