The Jamaican sprinter has expressed interest in becoming a contestant in the dance competition TV hit.
After wowing the audiences last August at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is all about celebrating now. The 9-time Olympic gold medalist has expressed his desire to become a contestant on the hit show #Dancing With The Stars.
"I would definitely do it," Bolt, 30, told People magazine. "I think I can dance." Needless to say that Bolt has showed the world some of his dance moves during his last Olympic appearance, when he eagerly joined a group of Brazilian samba beauties for a performance after a press conference.
Bolt has recently announced his plans to retire from racing sometime after 2017, which explains why he would possibly consider a possible DWTS gig. "I've talked to a few people who said if you want to get on the show then we can get you on," he told the American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine. "I love dancing and music."
The current season of the dance competition TV series stars American swimmer and Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte, another star who made headlines in Rio, but for other reasons.
Lochte, who allegedly falsely reported to Brazilian authorities to have been robbed at gunpoint, faced tremendous scrutiny following the incident and lost almost all of his sponsors. Lochte also generated buzz on September 13, the night of his premiere on DWTS, when protesters rushed the stage after the swimmer's first performance and interrupted the live show Monday evening.
For Bolt, it remains to be seen if his sponsors will allow him to take part in DWTS.
One of the world's highest-paid athletes, he earned an estimated $32.5 million between June 2015 and June 2016, according to Forbes magazine, which makes him the world's highest-paid track athlete.
"The Jamaican sprinter is in a class by himself in terms of his marketing prowess. His comps are not other track stars, but global icons like Messi, LeBron and Ronaldo. An Olympic year makes him an even hotter commodity. Bolt has 10 global partners, along with seven regional ones. Puma is his biggest backer with a deal worth north of $10 million a year," the American business magazine said in August.