OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, CMC – Usain Bolt is set to earn US $330,000 from his participation in a 300-metre race at the traditional Czech Golden Spike meet in May.
The two-time World Sportsman-of-the-Year from Jamaica is reportedly set to earn US $300,000 to appear in the rarely contested race.
Bolt will receive a bonus of US $30,000 if he breaks Michael Johnson’s unofficial World record of 30.85 seconds achieved 10 years ago in the high altitude of Pretoria, South Africa.
“I have done some 300s in training, so I am used to the distance, but this will be my first time to race it,” said Bolt. “If the weather is good I hope to run a fast time.” Bolt already holds the World records over 100 and 200 metres, and will look to add a third in his fourth appearance at the Golden Spike since 2006. The World’s fastest man opened his season by clocking 45.86 secs over 400 metres at the Campertown Classic in Jamaica on February 14.
But he again dispelled any probability of him regularly running the longer sprint distance in competition, despite accepting this. “I think the 400m is somewhere in the future, but hopefully after 2012,” he said. “The 400 is painful.”
