Widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt has been enjoying retired life since ending his career at the World Athletics Championships eight years ago
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will wrap up on Sunday, with the world’s top athletes departing Tokyo with medals around their necks and an overwhelming sense of pride.
Over the past week, new records have been set and new stars have emerged, including Oblique Seville. The 24-year-old ushered in a new era for Jamaican sprinting by clinching the men’s 100m title, beating fellow countryman Kishane Thompson and former champion Noah Lyles of the USA during the opening weekend.
It was a special moment, witnessed by none other than sprinting legend Usain Bolt. Eight years after his own retirement at the World Championships, Bolt was seen jubilantly celebrating Seville’s triumph from the stands.
An eight-time Olympic gold medallist, the 39-year-old holds the world record for the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay events, and is widely considered the greatest sprinter ever.
He shot to global fame after breaking two world records at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while his charismatic personality endeared him to fans worldwide throughout his career.
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It all came to an unfortunate end, however, as Bolt’s planned farewell at the 2017 World Championships in London saw him limping over the finish line after pulling up with 50 metres to go due to a hamstring injury. Since that day, he has been navigating retired life, which has presented an intriguing second career opportunity as well as an unexpected fitness challenge. Here’s what you need to know.
Football career
Months before his departure from the athletics world, Bolt expressed his desire to become a professional footballer, with his heart set on playing for his favourite club, Manchester United. Shortly after hanging up his spikes, he got down to business, starting training with Norwegian side Stromsgodset.
He then played as a forward for the club in a friendly match against Norway U19s, before jetting off to the other side of the world to start training with Australian side Central Coast Mariners. Just a few days into his stint with the A-League club, Bolt made his friendly debut against a Central Coast Select team, before starting in a friendly against another amateur side, netting two goals.
Later in 2018, Maltese club Valletta offered him a two-year contract, but he declined it before signing a deal with the Mariners, which was partly funded by the Australian FA. However, his time in Australia was brief, as he left the club after just eight weeks there.
At the beginning of 2019, Bolt revealed he had chosen not to chase a football career after all, declaring that it was “fun while it lasted”. Speaking to Reuters, he outlined his intentions to concentrate on business ventures instead, explaining: “I don’t want to say it wasn’t dealt with properly, but I think we went about it, not the way we should and you learn your lesson, you live and you learn”.
“It was a good experience. I really enjoyed just being in a team and it was must different from track and field and it was fun while it lasted. I’m just doing many different things … the sports life is over, so I’m now moving into different businesses, I have a lot of things in the pipeline, so as I say, I’m just dabbling in everything and trying to be a business man now.”
Nevertheless, Bolt still fulfilled his ambition of playing football at Old Trafford, leading the World XI squad at the legendary stadium in the first of multiple Soccer Aid outings. Sadly, he couldn’t avoid injury on the football field either as he sustained a torn Achilles in last year’s fixture and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
Model partner and family life
These days, Bolt is enjoying life as a stay-at-home dad to the three children he shares with long-term partner Kasi Bennett, who he has been in a relationship with for over a decade.
Bennett, a former sprinter herself, now boasts a successful career as a model, philanthropist, and social media influencer, with a following of over 400,000 people on Instagram. She also serves as the managing director of Jamaican business and marketing development agency, Elevate Marketing House.
The pair started dating in 2013 and went public with their relationship three years later. They welcomed their first child, Olympia Lightning, in 2020 and expanded their family with the arrival of twins Thunder and Saint-Leo in June 2021.
Eight years after hanging up his running shoes, Bolt has fully embraced his new role as a full-time dad. Speaking to The Telegraph, he revealed that aside from some brand ambassadorial work, his main focus is his children.
“Normally, I wake up just in time to see the kids off to school, and then it depends on what I have to do,” he shared. “If I have nothing to do, I just chill out. I might work out sometimes if I’m in a good mood. I just watch some series and chill until the kids come home.
“I spend some time with them, hang out, until they start annoying me. Then I leave. Afterwards, I just stay at home and watch movies or I’m into Lego now. So I do Lego.”
Bolt was recently described as “the ultimate provider” by Bennett in a gushing social media post on his birthday, as she wrote: “Another year around the sun with my forever partner in fun and happiness! You are the light in every room and a constant joy to everyone who has had the pleasure of knowing you.
“The most stand up family man, protector and the ultimate provider. You shower us with unconditional love and we celebrate you this and every day. It’s my man, my man, my man, FOREVER. Love you baby.”
Surprise health revelation
As one of the world’s finest athletes, few people on the planet were in superior physical shape than Bolt during his prime – but he has confessed his fitness has started to wane since retiring from sprinting.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he made the startling revelation that he is actually “not a fan” of running, but would need to return to it after feeling the effects of life away from the track.
“I’m not a fan, but I think now that I’ve been out for a while, I have to actually start running because when I walk upstairs I get out of breath,” he told the publication.
“I mostly do gym workouts. I think when I start working out fully again, I probably have to do some laps just to get my breathing right.”
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