"Nike got me paid"- Usain Bolt addresses rumors about moving to rival brand from Puma in the peak of his track career

Usain Bolt opened up about the rumors surrounding him signing with Nike during the peak of his track career after winning multiple gold medals at the Olympic games. The Jamaican athlete revealed that he had a discussion with the billion dollar conglomerate about signing a deal, but, Puma, the brand that he was associated with since a long time, matched the contract that Nike was offering, thereby helping him make more money.

The Olympic gold medalist, being the world record holder in both the 100m and the 200m, was one of the most popular athletes during his career and held a lot of influence among fans with the outfits and specialized spikes that he used to wear on the track. This made Bolt one of the most sought after athletes among brands.

After Bolt won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, followed by a world record-breaking World Championships victory a year later, there were rumors about him switching from his primary sponsor, Puma. The Jamaican athletes addressed the rumors in his recent appearance on the Ready Set Go podcast with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green. He revealed that having a meeting with Nike helped him elevate his contract with Puma during its extension.

“Nike, we had a meeting with Nike, it was after 2012, or before 2012. That's the only time we've had a meeting with Nike. Nah, Puma just matched the contract. They got me paid. Nike got me paid. I don't want to say that. Nike got me paid, bro. Nike got me paid. So they came in, and that discussion had, and then we told the CEO at the time, we actually flew to Kenya, the CEO at the time," said Usain Bolt.(22:30)

"Mr. Zeichs at the time was the Puma CEO, and he flew us to Kenya that year. Africa. Yeah, and we sat and discussed, and when he told me to figure out to play it cool, bro, I had to play it cool. They got me paid, I must say,” he added.

---

Usain Bolt on his long association with Puma

Usain Bolt at the Soccer Aid For Unicef 2021 - Source: Getty

Usain Bolt spoke about his assciation with Puma in an interview with the Guardian. The 8x Olympic gold medalist revealed that he had received offers from multiple rival brands over the course of his career but decided to stick to Puma as they had been associated with him for a very long time.

He revealed how his relationship with the company had become family-like as they supported him since the early days of his career.

"Yeah, definitely, definitely, [others] were interested. But for me Puma is the No1 in my book. We've been together for years now, they are my family so I don't want to start with a new family. You want money, but it's also got to be about the comradeship between you and your company," he said.

Furthermore, he expressed how the company took his feedback very seriously while working on new spikes and track gear curated for him, that helped him put forward his best performance on the track.