He also holds the world record as a part
of the 4×100m relay. He is the reigning World and Olympic champion in
these three events and the most successful sprinter in history.
A nine-time Olympic gold medallist, Bolt
won the 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay at three consecutive Olympic Games.
He gained worldwide popularity for his double sprint victory at the
2008 Beijing Olympics in world record times. Bolt was the first to win
consecutive Olympic 100m and 200m titles (2008 and 2012).
An eleven-time World Champion, he won
consecutive World Championship 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay gold medals
from 2009 to 2015, with the exception of a 100m false start in 2011. He
is the most successful athlete of the World Championships and was the
first athlete to win three titles in both the 100m and 200m at the
competition.
Usain Bolt is ending his Olympic career
by claiming an unprecedented “triple triple” and his ninth gold at the
Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
His achievements in sprinting have
earned him the media nickname, “Lightning Bolt,” and his awards include
the International Association of Athletics Federations World Athlete of
the Year, Track & Field Athlete of the Year, and Laureus World
Sportsman of the Year (three times). He has stated that he intends to
retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships.
Bolt’s earnings
The Jamaican sprinter is in a class of
his own in terms of his marketing prowess. His competitors are not his
fellow track stars, but global icons like Argentine football star Lionel
Messi, American basketball star LeBron James and Portuguese football
star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bolt has 10 global partners, along with
seven regional ones. Sportswear maker, Puma, is his biggest backer with a
deal worth north of $10m (N3.4bn) a year.
His relationship with Puma started way back in 2002, and his $10m-a-year deal is by far the most lucrative in athletics.
So far in 2016, he has made $32.5m (N11.1bn) in earnings — $2.5m (N850m) from winnings and $30m (N10.2bn) from endorsements.
He is the only track star who made it onto the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes, coming in at No. 32.
His other sponsors include the
watchmaker Hublot as well as Gatorade and Virgin Media, with deals
ranging in value from $1m (N340m) to $4m (N1.4bn).
Prize money in athletics events is
relatively low. Though he earns $10,000 (N3.4m) for every race he wins
in the Diamond League, he is often paid appearance fees of up to
$400,000 (N136m) per meet.
Another big earner for the Jamaican
athlete comes from Bolt’s character in the Temple Run mobile gaming
franchise, which has more than a billion downloads.
Homes and cars
Despite his international success, his
main base is not far from home. One of Bolt’s biggest purchases is his
mansion in the Norbrook housing complex in Kingston, Jamaica, which he
bought at an undisclosed figure.
In 2009, he also bought a home in Rum Cay Island in the Bahamas for an unknown fee. He only described the home as “magnificent.”
It makes sense that the world’s fastest
man enjoys reaching high speeds on the road. One of the track star’s
most lavish purchases is a $105,000 (N36m) black Nissan GT-R.
Never content with just one, Bolt also
owns a special-edition gold GT-R. This one, however, was given to him by
Nissan after he won three gold medals at the London Olympics in 2012.
The ace sprinter has also been spotted driving a Ferrari F430, which costs $217,000 (N73.8m).
Bolt was also given a blue coloured BMW M3 by Puma, his principal sponsor, sometime ago.
As well as hard partying and luxury
purchases, he also gives back to his community as he regularly donates
sports equipment to his alma mater and other various community projects
in his country.
One of his biggest hobbies is music. He has been performing DJ sets in public since 2010.
When it is time to travel around the
world — including hanging out with lots of famous figures, including
British royal, Prince Harry — Bolt travels in style, often by a private
jet.
Sources: olympic.org, businessinsider.com, forbes.com, en.wikipedia.org, bornrich.com
No comments:
Post a Comment