Usain Bolt Reveals He Considered Leaving Retirement After He Was Offered Lucrative Deal to Return to The Track – Watch Interview

June 8, 2024

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt revealed during an interview aired on Friday that he considered coming out of retirement after being offered a deal from the then-CEO of Puma.

Soccer Aid 2024 is scheduled to unfold at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium on Sunday, June 9, and Bolt will once again captain World XI FC in the annual British charity match. Speaking with talkSPORT ahead of his sixth Soccer Aid match, Bolt expressed his fondness for football and Soccer Aid.

While Bolt’s love for football is undeniable, it was track and field where he left his mark. As the conversation switched to sprinting, the Olympic champion revealed he considered returning to the sport after retiring in 2017.

According to Bolt, he was offered a lucrative deal two years after his retirement by Adidas CEO Björn Gulden, who was the Chief Executive for Puma at the time. While Bolt was open to returning, it was his coach who did not agree with the idea.

“My coach told me, he said to me, ‘Listen, if you’re gonna retire, that’s it. I’m not gonna coach you again. This is it; there’s no coming back after this.’ So when I went to him, he was like, ‘No, absolutely not.’ [ … ] I would do it because when you go away from the sport then you start missing it,” Bolt stated.

The former sprinter went on to share that he still misses being on the track and believes that he would have been capable of performing better than some of the athletes now. In regards to his so-far unbeaten 100m record, Bolt said he does not see anyone with the talent yet to break it.

Bolt added that American sprinter Noah Lyles is good and will get even better in time, but he is not at that level yet.

Watch Bolt’s interview below.