Usain Bolt Thinking About Switching To Long Jump For 2016 Olympics

Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, the winner of the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4×100-meter gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, but for the next installment of the summer games the Jamaican could be out for a new challenge — the long jump.

Bolt has been facing rumors that he is hanging up his running shoes for the 2016 Rio games, but insisted that instead of retiring he is actually looking to expand his track and field horizons, AFP reported.

“It’s just about making different goals, there’s a lot of things I can do in the sport,” Bolt told Britain’s Sky News television channel. My coach wants me to do 400 metres, I want to try long jump.”

Now a repeat champion of the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100-meter gold medals after he won all three events in Beijing in 2008, Usain Bolt said he is thinking about setting some new records instead of going for the three-peat.

“I could always try to aim for the records again, so there’s different things — but after the season we’ll decide what we want to do and work on that next season.”

Apparently, being one of the greatest springer of all time just isn’t enough for Usain Bolt. As the 2012 games were concluding he flirted with the idea of becoming a professional soccer player, even getting a tryout of sorts with the Manchester United. Once an excellent cricket player, Bolt also though about playing cricket in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 Big Bash League.

Usain Bolt wouldn’t be the first track and field legend to switch events. American sprinter Carl Lewis won four gold medals in sprint and four in long jump in the 1980s.

But Usain Bolt isn’t about to give up sprinting just yet, The Associated Press reported. He competed at a meet in Switzerland this week, turning in a 200-meter run of 19.58 seconds, the fastest ever at the Luasanne track.