Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt has expressed his interest in returning to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, this time aiming to compete in cricket. The sport will make its long-awaited return to the Olympics after a 128-year absence, with the LA28 Games scheduled from 12 to 29 July 2028.

Bolt, who grew up in the cricket-loving Caribbean, revealed his enthusiasm to represent Jamaica with bat and ball. Before rising to global fame as the world’s fastest sprinter, Bolt was an aspiring fast bowler and has often described cricket as his first sporting love. It was only during high school, at the encouragement of his cricket coach, that he shifted focus to track and field — a decision that ultimately changed sporting history.

Speaking toEsquiremagazine, Bolt said, “I am happily retired from professional sport. I haven’t played cricket in a long time, but if they call, I will be ready! [Laughs].”

Bolt retired from athletics in 2017 as the most decorated sprinter of all time, with eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship gold medals. He won both the 100 metres and 200 metres titles at three consecutive Olympics — Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 — and continues to hold the world records in the 100 metres (9.58 seconds) and 200 metres (19.19 seconds), set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

In addition to his sprinting achievements, Bolt has been actively involved in cricket promotion, serving as the brand ambassador for the T20 World Cup 2024 held in the USA and West Indies, and previously participating in a friendly cricket match in India in 2014 alongside Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh.

At the LA28 Olympics, six teams in both the men’s and women’s categories will compete for medals in cricket, with 90 athlete quotas per tournament and squads of up to 15 players per nation. Medal matches are scheduled for 20 July for women and 29 July for men. Cricket first appeared at the Olympics in 1900 at the Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France to claim the gold in a one-off match, marking the sport’s brief but historic Olympic debut.