Featured Image Credit: Bleacher Report
Topics: Usain Bolt, Jamaica, Kylian Mbappe, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Usain Bolt, Jamaica, Kylian Mbappe, Football
Usain Bolt has named the two football stars he would love to have raced during his prime years as a sprinter.
The Jamaica icon set world records at 100m (9.58) and 200m (19.19) in 2009 - and both are still yet to be beaten.
A new athletics 'super track', which claims to possess the technology to reduce times by up to 20 per cent, could theoretically allow a sprinter to beat Bolt's record if permitted by the IAAF for future competitions.
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But for now, Bolt reigns supreme in all metrics as the fastest man to ever live - a fact technology could not change.
The Jamaican has tried his hands at various other sports, including football.
He played several friendlies for Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners in 2018, but ultimately decided not to pursue a professional football career.
Bolt is also a keen fan of cricket, with the sport popular in the Caribbean through the once-dominant West Indies team.
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He once claimed he would be a fast bowler if not for athletics, and is close friends with West Indies legend Chris Gayle.
Neither sport would ultimately be Bolt's calling - though one of his strengths as a football player was, naturally, his speed.
It goes without saying that the Jamaican at his quickest can cover 100 metres quicker than any footballer on the planet, though the gaps between Bolt and the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Thierry Henry in simulations are smaller than you might think.
In a recent interview (via Bleacher Report), Bolt was specifically asked which two footballers, past or present, he would like to race against.
Bolt didn't hesitate while picking Mbappe, while he also picked former Tottenham and Real Madrid speedster Gareth Bale.
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He explained: "I think the two that we talked about was definitely Mbappe, because people really feel like he's that quick!
"Mbappe and Gareth Bale. I think those are the two I would definitely like to line up with."
Last May, Mbappe said that he would be interested in racing Bolt - though didn't give himself any chance of winning.
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He said: "I have no chance. I think so, too.
"Knowing that I inspire someone like that is really gratifying. I think he inspired everyone a little bit, too, and every one of you in this room has gotten up in the middle of the night to watch one of his races. It's mutual. But I started admiring him first!"