Jamaican sprint king Bolt becomes father for first time

Athletics great and eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt and his long-time girlfriend Kasi Bennett welcomed their first child on Sunday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed in a congratulatory tweet on Monday.

Jamaica’s Bolt, who holds world records in the 100m and 200m distance, confirmed Bennett was expecting a daughter in an Instagram video in March.

“Congratulations to our sprint legend Usain Bolt and Kasi Bennett on the arrival of their baby girl,” Holness tweeted.

Bolt, the only sprinter to win the 100m and 200m golds at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016), had previously said he would advise his future children against following in his footsteps.

“That’s going to be hard for my kid. If they want to do it, I’m fine with it. But initially I’m going to say don’t do it, because I know the pressure that will come along with it,” the 33-year-old said during the weekend of Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

An 11-time world champion, Bolt retired after the 2017 world championships in London where he suffered a hamstring injury in the final race of his career.

~ Via Reuters