Usain Bolt's switch to soccer puts him in some very exclusive company [View all]
It's late May and practice time for the Stromsgodset Toppfotball club in Drammen, Norway. As the players are dressing, sporting director Jostein Flo informs them that a new recruit will be joining them to try out. He tells them the recruit is "damn fast." The door opens and in walks a man they instantly recognize. They can't believe their eyes, -- or the number on the back of his jersey: 9.58.
Welcome, Usain Bolt, to the world of football. And welcome, world, to the idea that the 32-year-old world-record-holder in both the 100 meters (9.58 seconds) and 200 meters (19.19) wants to play wing on a professional soccer team now that he's retired from track and field. What nicer challenge can there be than to play a sport he has loved since his boyhood days in Sherwood Content, Jamaica?
Starting on Tuesday, Bolt will begin training in Gosford, Australia, with the Central Coast Mariners of the A-League. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist has been dipping his toes into pitches in South Africa, Germany and Norway this year while his agent has been fielding enquiries from clubs in Turkey, America's United Soccer League and the A-League. Ultimately, Bolt chose the Mariners, in part because of his familiarity with the territory -- he helped bankroll an Australian track league.
"I always say that anything is possible," Bolt said when his audition was first announced. "Don't think limits. I look forward to the challenge."
http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/24374838/usain-bolt-michael-jordan-manny-pacquiao-sports-icons-try-second-career
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