Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, world-record holder and fastest man in history, just added a new title: dad.
Bolt’s longtime girlfriend, Kasi Bennett, gave birth to a baby girl, according to Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ social media and Jamaica’s two primary newspapers.
In February, Bolt said he would not encourage his child to pursue sprinting.
“That’s going to be hard for my kid,” he said during Super Bowl weekend in Miami. “If they want to do it, I’m fine with it. But initially I’m going to say don’t do it, ‘cause I know the pressure that will come along with it.”
After Kobe Bryant‘s death, Bolt said he was hoping for a daughter.
“I could see in his eyes how much he loved his girls,” Bolt said. “I would love to have that feeling.”
Bolt, 33, has said he hopes to have three children.
“I’m excited, but I’m nervous,” he said. “I’ve always been a fun guy, I’ve always been that person. But should I be that person and make my girlfriend be the bad guy? Those are the questions I’m asking, so we’ll see what happens.”
Bolt, who holds world records in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19), retired after the 2017 World Championships. The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be the first Games without the Jamaican legend since the 2000 Sydney Games.
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