Boldon: Football won’t hurt Bolt’s legacy

LOCAL sprint legend Ato Boldon is supporting Usain Bolt’s venture of becoming a professional footballer, saying nothing he does will spoil his legacy.

Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, retired from track and field after the 2017 World Championships. The sprint legend, who said it will be a dream to play for Manchester United, has trained with multiple football teams around the world. Among the teams Bolt has trained with are Norwegian side Stromsgodset and Australian club Central Coast Mariners of the A-League.

Bolt was offered a two-year contract from Maltese club Valletta, which he turned down on October 18. On October 21, Bolt was offered a contract by the Mariners.

There have been mixed reactions to his decision to pursue a career in football. One person, who is supporting Bolt,however, is Boldon.

Talking about Bolt’s decision to pursue a career in football, Boldon said, “I see the criticism of him, some of the press, and they go ‘What is he doing, he is ruining his legacy.’

That man’s legacy is in tact and to me when you have accomplished something that no other human has done you have earned the right to then go and do whatever it is you want. For me, it was almost my job to critique him when he was a track and field athlete, and now as an ex-footballer I look at him and I go ‘Go Bolt, do it.’”

Boldon, who left Fatima College at age 14 to go to the US, can relate to Bolt as someone who switched sports. While playing football at Jamaica High School in Queens, New York, a track and field coach noticed Boldon’s sprinting abilities and the rest is history. Boldon won four Olympic sprint medals — bronze medals in the 100m and 200m events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a silver medal in the 100m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a bronze in the 200m event at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Boldon said Bolt’s goal of becoming a footballer reminds him of legendary basketballer Michael Jordan. Jordan retired from basketball in October 1993 and tried to pursue a career in baseball, before returning to the NBA in March 1995.

“In the same way that Michael Jordan (played baseball) after he had done everything he could do in the NBA.

He should have been allowed to pursue his passion, which was baseball even though he was not that great at it. I see Bolt as almost the exact same case and I route very heavily for him now.”

American Bo Jackson is one person who was successful at two sports simultaneously in the 1980s and 1990s. Jackson was an all-star in both Major League Baseball and in the National Football League (American football).