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.
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."
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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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