Other Bolt - No to 400 metres, but yes to $400mil USD???

[RussellEbertHandball]

Usain Bolt has been in the news overnight.

During the Olympics and world championships a few people asked why doesn't he run the 400m as he could win that. The training is very different but the big thing is the money is in the 100m not the 400m or having a crack at the 100/200/400 triple or 100/200/400/4x100m/4x400m at the Olympics/World Champs as the schedule would make it an impossibility.

At an IAAF press conference last night he confirmed he isn't interested in the 400m.

Usain Bolt Teleconference Highlights – IAAF Diamond League

Have you given any more thought to running the 400m seriously?

“I think the 200 is as far as will go. It’s almost a full out sprint and that’s something I enjoy.”

“If it takes that for me to become a legend in sports, then I guess I will, otherwise I wouldn’t want to do it (seriously).”

“Why? The training. It’s very hard. It’s much harder than training for the 200. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

Tyson Gay broke through the 45-second barrier last weekend.

“Yeah, that caught me by surprise. Congratulations to him. But no, no, no, it doesn’t motivate me to go to the 400 (laughs).”

Usain Bolt Teleconference Highlights – IAAF Diamond League

Why would it motivate him when Puma are reported to have offered him a $400mil USD long term contract?

http://www.runzoom.com/story.php?title=puma-gives-bolt-400m-wings-

Puma Gives Bolt $400M Wings ?

You won't see this discussed much anywhere as endorsement deals in track and field tend to be highly classified and super secret. But perhaps Usain Bolt has re-opted with Puma - Bolt's contract with Puma supposedly was to end after 2010 and the big shoe companies were reportedly already in hot pursuit. BUT - Puma just very recently announced that Bolt was the face of its new fragrance line and in a very short blurb in NationNews.com today it was revealed that Usain Bolt has a near US$400 million product endorsement deal with the German-based sports equipment icon - which was orchestrated by Barbadian Adrian Gill, who is the vice-president of Footwear at Puma AG. Over how many years 5 years?, 10 years ? and the terms of the deal the story does not say - but even so if true this would be the largest endorsement deal in track and field history and substantially more than Bolt was reportedly making with Puma a year ago. Perhaps this was an inadvertent slip!

http://www.runzoom.com/story.php?title=puma-gives-bolt-400m-wings-

They picked up the story from;

http://www.nationnews.com/news/sports/Barbadian-gives-track-megastar-a-lift-copy-for-web