Usain Bolt’s audacious bid to make it in the A-League has officially begun.
The greatest sprinter of all-time made his first public appearance on Tuesday morning on the turf of Central Coast Stadium alongside his new teammates.
Replay
With dozens of reporters and photographers there to capture his every move, Bolt strolled out of the tunnel ahead of what is set to be a fascinating trial to get a contract as a professional footballer.
Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist, began the session with some light passing to teammates in a circle. Most of his passes hit the mark but one had to be retrieved by a teammate some 30 metres away. He was in quite the relaxed mood.
His first proper passes on Australian soil were about 20 metres to the left of a big lightning bolt cut into the grass near the halfway line.
The session is closed to the general public but one gets the sense that when they hear Bolt is having his first run around, they will be doing anything they can to peep through the fences at the southern end of the ground.
Underway: Usain Bolt (left) arrives for Mariners training alongside his manager Ricky Sims.
There was a comical moment, after some gentle passing, when the team began its stretching for the morning.
Players were asked to pair up. The two men either side of Bolt went the other way, not deliberately, mind you, but it left one of the world's most recognisable athletes without a partner to stretch out with.
Luckily, it didn't take long for him to find a buddy.
Then came a drill that involved some longer passing – the one where after getting rid of the ball you move to the next cone. Bolt clearly hadn't been briefed on what to do, but he worked it out without trouble.
However, on one occasion, Bolt forgot he had to rush to the next cone. Once the realisation came he had to get on his bike, he dashed 25 metres to the next white marker in no time. The man can move.
Much has been made of Bolt's raw pace. The world has been priveleged to watch him beat all those before him for a decade. His aerobic fitness will be the subject of much speculation if he wants to seriously trade running spikes for football studs.
After 10 minutes of passing and running, Bolt looked more fatigued than his teammates. Hands went on hips and he began to experience something he rarely did on the track: sweat.
"I'm sweating," said Bolt as he wiped away the perspiration off his brow with his new navy blue Mariners shirt. It was 10.52am and the temperature was 16 degrees. Has anyone told him the A-League is played during summer?
Bolt and Mariners coach Mike Mulvey will front a press conference at 12.30pm once training has concluded.
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