Despite Getting Millions, Usain Bolt Was Forced to Keep His Track and Field Career Retired: “Absolutely Not”

In 2010, when Puma handed Usain Bolt the “largest ever” athletics signing offer, the brand showered praises on the 24-year-old sprinter. “He embodies the joy, playfulness, and irreverence that are the cornerstone of our brand,” the CEO, Jochen Zeitz said then. However, Puma had been dealing with the Jamaican sprinter since 2003, noticing the extraordinary talent in him. But he lacked a guide then to channel his mastery to the actual fruition. Soon after Glen Mills took the reins of his coaching, the rest was history. The ‘abiding with the coaching’ went to such a length that a fat purse could not topple Usain Bolt’s concentration to chase glory. 

After years, that tale of master and follower still stands. Ultimately, because of such a bond, Usain Bolt has been helped to call on the chips when it comes to making important decisions in his career. Recently, the legend has himself demonstrated one such occurrence when his coach made a groundbreaking decision for him. 

The elder’s effect on making optimal decisions 

Recently, after his soccer match for World XI FC, Usain Bolt sat down with talkSPORT to discuss his takes on his personal life and the current situation of the track and field sport. Herein, the host asked about his mentality to make a return on the tracks as Usain had demonstrated himself in ‘decent shape’ in the same conversation. However, the 37-year-old said that he had an option after “two years of his retirement”. But his coach staunchly refused to coach him then, saying, “absolutely not”. 

Even Usain Bolt had a chance to land a hefty sum if he would have started his sprinting career again. “My CEO at the time, he’s with ADIDAS now but at the time he was like, listen, we’ll give you a proper contract if you want to come back and run,” he said in the same conversation. But what is his status now? 

Usain doesn’t see much hope now as it might be a dead rubber if he continues his sprinting when his son can almost do the same. But deep down in the corner, he has his love saved for the sport. 8 years after leaving the competitive field, it feels normal when he says, “I would do it because when you go away from the sport, then you start missing it.” Well, the athletic world should know that the Jamaican demigod needs just “1 year and 3 months” to be ready to take on the current grain of the sprinters. 

On several occasions, Usain Bolt has been seen generating pace through his long feet. So a comeback chance is on the calendar? No one knows. But from time to time, the iconic champion has hyped the interest through his movements and statements. 

Usain Bolt still can take on the champions 

Recently, Usain Bolt has been seen shedding sweat in a cricket match, playing as the ambassador for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The gentle giant moved his arms too, to give a test of his bowling prowess in that exhibitory match. However, his fitness has not seemed to be an issue for a single second. Before that, last year, he left several marks showing his interest in making a return on the tracks. 

In one such scene, Usain Bolt framed himself running through the staircase of a stadium. The speed he could be seen generating was no less than to humble several current-day sprinters. Furthermore, his subsequent caption with the post, ”What we been through is more than tongue can tell,” spoke volumes on his journey to be the speedster. However, his most phenomenal call came from someone who often sees himself getting compared to the legend despite coming from a different sport. 

Kylian Mbappe’s pace on the soccer field lands him in front of Usain Bolt several times. However, his top speed of 22.4 mph looks dwarfed in front of Bolt’s 29.65 mph, recorded at the 2009 IAAF World Championships. Yet that couldn’t demotivate the French soccer star as he once said, “It would be fun, why not one day if we both have the time? I don’t expect much from the result.” Ultimately, it was a call for battle. Will Usain Bolt reply to that ever?