Nuts and Bolt! Sprint legend grabs double after painful kick

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Nuts and Bolt! Sprint legend grabs double after painful kick

AFP

Usain Bolt recovers from a kick in the groin by scoring 2 goals in a preseason football game for Australia's Central Coast Mariners

 

 

SYDNEY, Australia – Sprint legend Usain Bolt scored his first goals in professional football Friday, October 12, after starting up front in a preseason game for Australia’s Central Coast Mariners.

The 100 meters world record-holder, who is bidding for a professional contract, recovered from a painful kick in the groin to grab a double against Macarthur South West United in Sydney.

Bolt, 32, finished with his left foot after some slack marking on 55 minutes, celebrating with his trademark “Lightning Bolt” pose.

The Jamaican then capitalized on a defensive mix-up to score his second on 69 minutes before being substituted 6 minutes later with the score at 4-0.

It was the first game Bolt has started since joining the A-League club in August for an indefinite trial.

“I’m just happy that I got a chance and I’m proud of myself,” Bolt told host broadcaster Fox Sports after the game.

“It was a big deal… first start and scoring two goals. It was a good feeling. This is what I worked towards. I try to get better and I am on the way to doing that.”

Bolt said he had a “lot more to learn” and was keen to join the Mariners on a professional contract.

“I’m keen, that’s why I’m here to play my best and to try and get into the team,” he added.

The superstar, a massive Manchester United fan, was handed a chance to train with the A-League side for an indefinite period in order to pursue his boyhood dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Whether he signs for the Mariners appears still up in the air, but the brace bolstered his case after a difficult first-half where he missed chances and appeared to struggle with the pace and movement of the game.

“They’ve seen me in training, they’ve seen what I’m capable of and so, they need to analyze and say, ‘Is he good enough for this club?’ and they will tell me that,” Bolt told reporters after the game.

“I just did what I had to do and that’s as far as I can go.”

Recently installed coach Mike Mulvey said he was focused on the first game of the season for the Mariners, who finished bottom of the table last season, but heaped praised on the eight-time Olympic champion for his goals.

“You’ve got to be so happy for the guy, haven’t you?” Mulvey told reporters.

Bolt appeared to appeal for game time, saying he would improve as he gained more understanding of his teammates and what they wanted.

He has previously tried out with clubs in Germany, South Africa and Norway to no avail.

The Mariners have been giving him one-on-one sessions on top of the squad’s training in a bid to turn him into A-League material for when the season starts a week from now.

The Mariners will face Brisbane Roar, the club Mulvey was sacked from in 2014, in their first game next Sunday– Rappler.com

 

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!