Usain Bolt stands as a living legend in the world of track and field. With 8 gold medals, not only did he make the sport of track and field spring to life, but his incredible 9.58s record still stands unbeaten. Quite expectedly, Bolt’s superior track antics and the flair that he brought in attracted a lot of brand endorsements. Thus, his net worth soon swelled up and stood at a whopping $90 million as of August 2024, as reported by The Financial Express. However, looking back at his childhood, the Jamaican sprinter was devoid of any luxuries. 

Born in the parish of Trelawny, in North-West Jamaica, Bolt had a humble beginning. Growing up in Sherwood Content, Bolt’s parents were grocers as his aunt ran a well-known bar named ‘Miss Lilly Bolt’s.’The Jamaican had a fair idea of what poverty looked like and thus, he did not want to blow it all away when the dollar bills started to come in. Despite already establishing himself as a star back in 2009, when he clocked his famous 9.58s 100m sprint at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Bolt was respectful of the money he was getting. 

Recalling the days when the financial problems finally began to get solved, the Jamaican legend spoke about being extra careful and responsible. Reflecting on the same, Bolt stated in his autobiography, Faster Than Lightning, “With money came extra responsibility, though. I had to learn some big lessons about who l was and what I did for a living.” He then delved into how his world had turned upside down after his world-record feat in Berlin. Now, instead of being a random sprinter, Bolt was a well-known face globally. 

But he knew that in order to stay on top, he could not let money and fame derail him. Thus, he kept true to his original goal – being the best at his game. Speaking about his upright approach to life, Bolt recalled how he still toiled hard in practice despite the fame and the big checks . “I wasn’t just an athlete any more, l’d become a role model and an entertainer, and though I was still killing myself on the University of the West Indies track to be the best competitor around, l also had to deliver a personality, like the one the world had first seen in Beijing,”  he added.

Moreover, he also narrated how with his growing fame, Bolt also wanted to develop a character that was exclusive to him. And surely, he was utterly successful in that aspect as well. The mannerisms of the Jamaican legend on the track only increased his fan base. Thus, after winning 8 Olympic golds and a whopping 11 World Championships, the legend finally called it quits in 2017. Currently, as he enjoys what is perhaps the most relaxing phase of life, the Jamaican could not help but reminisce a stark comparison with an incident when he was a budding athlete.

Lack of money made Usain Bolt cry after missing a flight 

Usain Bolt will usually be spotted going around on chartered flights now. However, there was a time when he literally ran out of ideas after missing a flight back home. In his 2013 autobiography, Faster Than Lightning, Bolt remembered his junior athletics days. Back in 2002, Bolt was already making a case for himself in the track and field realm. He had won the IAAF Rising Star Award and flew to London to collect the same. Now, his round-trip flight expenses were covered by the JAAA. But Bolt made a blunder. He missed the flight back home! 

This meant that the Jamaican had to bear the expenses of his own flight ticket now. And much to Bolt’s horror, he did not have enough money. Unable to fathom what to make of the situation, the Jamaican thought to himself, “What the hell is going to happen now?’ Weeping uncontrollably, Bolt was relieved by a lady attendant. She informed him, “When this happens, the company puts you up in a hotel for the night.” 

Comforting him further, the attendant gave the sprinter hope by saying, “We’ll get you on a flight home first thing tomorrow morning. You’ll be fine.” And while things got solved for Bolt, the legend cannot help but remember how his 16-year-old self was scared at the moment, “I was a kid, 16 years old, I had no money, and for a while, I thought I was going to be stranded in England forever.” Thus, learning his lessons, Usain Bolt used his finances responsibly and is now leading a life of comfort, with the world hailing him as one greatest modern-day sprinters to have graced the sport.