Usain Bolt has defended his title as the world’s fastest man, winning gold in the 100 metre sprint this morning at the London Olympics.
But while Bolt may have successfully defended his title on the track – and set an Olympic record at the same time – in the business world, his record shows a different story.
The star’s Caribbean sports bar, Tracks & Records, opened in 2011 in Bolt’s home town of Kingston. On its website, the company says it has “already started to break the barriers of a casual eatery and sports bar & lounge”.
As it turns out, the track superstar’s aggressive schedule for opening more bars overseas has proven elusive.
The site says the bar is built with an “almost stadium-like presence” occupying 6,000 square feet.
“The brand’s unique décor reflects the offering’s dual sports and music concept – playing on the ‘tracks’ run on and the ‘records’ broken by Usain Bolt, as well as on the ‘tracks and records’ which are key elements of music.”
“The overall décor features are the fundamentals of brand Jamaica, with a contemporary sophistication, which takes patrons on a journey from old school Jamaican culture to the most modern audio-visual experience.”
Bolt wanted to open a branch in London before the Olympics, but that plan was shut down as early as 2011. According to his London agent, Ricky Simms, the plan was in doubt about 18 months ago.
“Things have taken a bit longer than expected so I don’t think there is going to be time for that before the Olympics,” said Simms.
“But it could well happen after 2012. I know Usain is looking at opening bars in London and New York.”
As Bolt has risen in popularity since Beijing, his fortune has also grown to more than $US20 million a year, coming from various events, sponsorship deals and prize money. Forbes places him at 63rd on its list of the world’s highest paid athletes.
Some of his sponsorship deals include Gatorade, Virgin Media, Visa and Puma. Back in 2010, Bolt signed another deal netting him $US9 million a year – an unusual amount for a track and field star.
