Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt to make Central Coast Mariners debut on Friday

Sport360 staff 11:24 28/08/2018
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  • Usain Bolt is going to push himself “to the limit” when he makes his Central Coast Mariners debut on Friday.

    The Olympic sprint champion and world-record holder is currently having an indefinite trial with the Mariners as he bids to earn himself a sport-swapping contract for the forthcoming A-League season.

    The 32-year-old Jamaican is set to play a part against Central Coast Football in a trial game this Friday and though he admits he will be nervous, he is ready to prove he has serious football credentials.

    “This week we are trying to get me through the full (training) programme, get me up to pace, because this Friday I get the chance to play a little bit so I have got to get up the pace,” he told a press conference on Tuesday.

    “I don’t know how my body is going to feel, I know when I get on the field I am going to push myself to the limit, it’s just about work. The season doesn’t start until October, so I have time, and it’s about being smart.

    “There will be nerves, it’s not like it’s a charity game anymore. There will be nerves, I expect to make mistakes but I also expect to make myself proud and to push myself.”

    Jamaica's Usain Bolt poses with the new

    Bolt has trained with several clubs around the world since quitting the athletics track, trying to make good of a lifelong ambition to be a professional footballer.

    The likes of Borussia Dortmund, Stromsgodset and Mamelodi Sundowns have all taken Bolt in before, but this trial with the Mariners represents a serious opportunity.

    “I think they are pretty happy with the effort I am putting in, I am doing what they say,” added Bolt, who has been working out on the left wing.

    “I can feel the improvement, which is why we are going through the full programme with the guys. It shows I am getting better.”

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