Sprint king Usain Bolt shocked at being issued dope test notice despite quitting athletics and not having signed a professional football contract yet
Former Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is currently on trial with A-League football club Central Coast Mariners. Pic/Getty Images
Sprint legend Usain Bolt says he's stunned after being handed a drug testing notice despite retiring from athletics and having no professional contract as he bids to launch a football career in Australia. The 100m world record-holder quit athletics last year and is yet to be offered a deal by Australia's Central Coast Mariners, where he is currently on trial. "So guys I've retired from track and field looking to become a footballer but look at this," Bolt said yesterday via an Instagram video as he zoomed in on the notice.
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FFA seeking test
The demand for the out of competition test appears to have been issued by Football Federation Australia. "How am I going to get a drug test today? I'm not even a professional footballer yet. Seriously," said Bolt. "So I asked the lady, 'Why am I getting drug tested when I haven't signed for a club yet?' and she said they told her I'm an elite athlete so I have to get tested. Okay then."
It appears the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority guidelines mean he is eligible to be tested. Their legislation defines an athlete as a person who competes in sport if the sport has an anti-doping policy". The eight-time Olympic champion, who dominated sprinting after taking double individual gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, is now bidding to become a professional footballer.
He made his case on Friday by scoring two goals for the Mariners in a pre-season friendly. The superstar, a massive Manchester United fan, has been handed a chance to train with the A-League side for an indefinite period in order to pursue his dream. Meanwhile, Bolt's Mariners teammate Ross McCormack has hailed the 100m and 200m world record-holder's chances of succeeding in football. Scotland forward McCormack is on loan at the A-League side from Aston Villa and has been playing alongside the sprint king. "He is an absolute specimen of a human being. Huge, 6ft 5in tall and his shoulders seem about three metres wide," McCormack said.
'Usain is a humble guy'
"The great thing is Usain's so humble. You forget you are with a global icon. He stays behind to work after training and asks for advice yet, when he talks, it's a bit like John Terry at Aston Villa last season, everyone in the dressing room wants to listen."
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