Usain Bolt contemplates football career in life after athletics

Sprint champion Usain Bolt opened up about his next career move, saying he is thinking of swapping his spikes for cleats.

Retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, seen here at a news conference in Kyoto, Japan, is thinking of football for his next career move. September 5, 2017.
Reuters screenshot

Retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, seen here at a news conference in Kyoto, Japan, is thinking of football for his next career move. September 5, 2017.

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt might end up swapping the running shoes for football boots as he contemplates life away from the track.

Bolt, who retired from athletics last month, visited western Japan on Tuesday, taking part in a charity event, organised to promote and protect traditional culture in Kyoto.

But he had to sit out a 15-metre race with several children because of a hamstring injury from last month's World Championships in London, which hampered the final event of his career.

Bolt admits his farewell was a "rough one," but is excited about what lies ahead.

"My aim is to do a lot more charity works, and I've always wanted to pursue a football career, so that's something that I'd also like to look into. And also, maybe I'll be an analyst for track and field. I don't know what part I'll be playing, but I want to play a big part in track and field, in developing and help pushing and promoting track and field in the future," he said.

Bolt, who has won 19 global championship golds, is widely considered the finest sprinter in athletics history.

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