5 Years After Retirement, Usain Bolt Picks Up Racket To Explore America’s Fastest Growing Sport

In the sports world, retirement means exploring. Fans have captured this essence in various legendary social media posts. Skier Lindsey Vonn conquered surfing waves, and skateboarder Tony Hawk tried surfing. Not only this, 2022 retired snowboarder Shaun White nailed both skating and surfing. All these champions have embraced new sports post-retirement. Following this news, Usain Bolt too, joins the league.

The fastest man alive, five years into retirement, chooses a completely different sport. Bolt’s new sports taste holds a special place in America’s heart and growing at an insane speed. While Bolt typically maintains a low profile on social media, recent developments saw him sharing a post, igniting excitement among track and field enthusiasts and fans of his newfound sport.

Usain Bolt tries his hand at new sports

Pickleball has witnessed an incredible surge in popularity. It has attracted both professionals & players from different fortes. In the US, the paddle sport has garnered widespread approval, even earning nods from American tennis legends.

Along similar lines, Usain Bolt, a few days ago, shared glimpses of the same on his Instagram account. He showcased his and his friends engrossed in a game of padel with the caption that read, “P A D E L.” Furthermore, in the photo, he tagged Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, Brisco, and the A-Team Lifestyle crew.

Gardner is a retired Jamaican footballer with a notable career on the Jamaican national team. Whereas, Brisco is a Jamaican musician and producer who took part in A-Team Lifestyle. This team represents Bolt’s close-knit circle, sharing his passions for music, sports, and entertainment. Bolt’s foray into padel, a sport gaining momentum and sparking debates in America, has quickly become a headline-maker.

A Closer Look at Pickle Ball

Padel, sometimes known as padel tennis, is a Mexican sport that unfolds on a compact court, slightly smaller than the conventional tennis counterpart, typically played in pairs.

While padel shares the scoring system with tennis, its rules, strokes, and techniques carve a distinct identity. The balls used bear similarity to tennis balls, but with a tad less pressure. Remarkably, padel has secured a place in the 2023 European Games and aspires to attain Olympic status in the 2032 Summer Olympics.

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On the flip side, pickleball, experiencing an astounding 113% surge in participation between 2020 and 2022, as per a 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) report, has encountered its share of issues. The swift ascent of the game has led to disputes over playing grounds, vehement noise complaints, incidents of violence, legal battles, and even potential criminal charges. Coming back to Bolt’s new sport venture, it leaves fans with a quest for more updates from the celebrated athlete.

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