Usain Bolt, Most Decorated Sprinter Of All Time

Usain Bolt is one of the most watched athletes of all time. Born 30 years ago, the Jamaican sprinter has been regarded as the fastest human ever lived. He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time became mandatory.
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.

August 27, 2016