Usain Bolt‘s book tour arrived in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday. He signed copies of his autobiography, “Faster Than Lightning,” and answered questions about anti-doping in track and field.
His comments echoed what the six-time Olympic champion said in Monaco on Saturday, when he won his record fifth IAAF Athlete of the Year award.
The women’s winner that night was another Jamaican sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who threatened to sit out meets if she didn’t get more support from the Jamaican federation over the country’s anti-doping problems.
“The federation in Jamaica doesn’t have a lot of money like everybody else around the world,” Bolt said in Santa Monica. “We don’t get a lot of sponsors like maybe U.S. or Britain. For me, this is my job. I can’t just get up and go on strike like that. This is what I do for a living.”
Here’s what Bolt reportedly said in Monaco:
“Shelly, you’re on your own with that. It’s hard for me to strike because it’s my job.”
On Monday night, Bolt made an appearance on NBC’s “The Voice” to support Jamaican contestant Tessanne Chin.
“We’re just trying to figure out a way to vote,” Bolt told Carson Daly on the show. “Everybody (in Jamaica) is watching right now.”
They found a way. Chin made the final eight, announced Tuesday night.
