WORLD-RECORD sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after celebrating his 34th birthday with a big bash mask-free last week.
Jamaica’s health ministry confirmed late on Monday that Bolt, who holds world records in the 100m and 200m distances, had tested positive after he posted a video on social media around midday saying he was waiting to hear back on his results.
“Just to be safe I quarantined myself and just taking it easy,” Bolt said in the message that appeared to have been taped while he was lying in bed. It was posted with the caption “Stay safe my people.”
The only sprinter to win the 100m and 200m gold medals at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016), Bolt said he did not have any symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
Bolt said he took the test on Saturday, the day after he celebrated his birthday at a bash where partygoers danced to the hit “Lockdown” by Jamaican reggae singer Koffee.
“Best birthday ever,” Bolt, who retired from athletics in 2017, wrote on Instagram, posting a photo of himself holding his daughter, Olympia, who was born in May.
Fans wished Bolt a speedy recovery on social media– “drink up your ginger tea,” one wrote– although some accused him of carelessness.
