Personal Life
In his personal life, Bolt expresses a love for dancing and his character is frequently described as laid-back and relaxed. His Jamaican track and field idols include Herb McKenley and former Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder, Don Quarrie. Michael Johnson, the former 200 m world and Olympic record holder, is also held in high esteem by Bolt.
Bolt is Catholic and is known for making the sign of the cross before racing competitively. His middle name is Saint Leo.
In 2010, Bolt also revealed his fondness of music, when he played a reggae DJ set to a crowd in Paris.
Additionally, The first sport to interest him was cricket and he said if he was not a sprinter he would be a fast bowler instead. As a child he was a supporter of the Pakistani cricket team and admired the bowling of Waqar Younis. He is also a fan of Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, West Indian opener Chris Gayle and Australian opener Matthew Hayden. During a charity cricket match Bolt clean-bowled Chris Gayle. Gayle was complimentary of Bolt's pace and swing. Bolt also struck a six off Chris Gayle's bowling. Another bowler complimentary of Bolt's pace was former West Indies fast-bowling great Curtly Ambrose.
Australian cricketer Shane Warne said on 12 August 2012 that Bolt would be interested in playing in the Big Bash League. Bolt confirmed this saying: " contacted me and asked me about if I am serious and if I really want to do it then he can put in a few words that should get it done. So we will see if I get the time off. I will try." He also said he likes the Twenty20 version of the game: "Just the fact that it is so exciting, it's about going hard the whole time, not just about playing shots. It's about being aggressive and I like that style of batsman. If I get the chance I will definitely try because I know it's going to be a lot of fun. I don't know how good I am. I will probably have to get a lot of practice in." The social media campaign Warne started to get Bolt into the league also gained support from Australian Hollywood actor Russell Crowe. In response to Bolt's interest, Melbourne Stars Chief Executive Clint Cooper said: "We're going to wait until the Olympics is over and re-engage with him and his management company. We've got a couple of spots left on our list."
Bolt is also a football buff and a supporter of Manchester United. He has declared he is a fan of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Bolt was a special guest of Manchester United at the 2011 UEFA Champions League final in London, where he stated he'd like to play for them after he retires.
Read more about this topic: Usain Bolt
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