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Sprint King Usain Bolt enters space race in zero gravity sprint - Watch Video

Sprint king Usain Bolt was back on the starting line on Thursday (September 13) -- but found it a challenge to stay on his feet in zero gravity conditions aboard an airplane.

Sprint King Usain Bolt enters space race in zero gravity sprint - Watch Video

Paris, Sept 13: Sprint king Usain Bolt was back on the starting line on Thursday (September 13) -- but found it a challenge to stay on his feet in zero gravity conditions aboard an airplane.

The 32-year-old Jamaican sprinter briefly broke off from his pursuit of a professional football career with Australia's Central Coast Mariners to travel to France for the event.

Dressed in a spacesuit, Bolt was aboard a zero-gravity Airbus as part of an event sponsored by a champagne brand.

The plane performed a series of parabolas as Bolt and two other guests experienced a phase of weightlessness for 22 seconds, time for a race to be staged within the cabin.

Watch the video here:

The eight-time Olympic champion and 100m and 200m world record holder called time on his athletics career last year.

Bolt now wants to try his luck on the football field and the 'fastest man on earth' made his football debut for new Australian club, Central Coast Mariners, late last month in a 20-minute cameo as a substitute during a friendly.

Starting in his favoured left wing position, he nearly scored but tired quickly and admitted he was not match-fit, with Australian pundits saying he had plenty of work ahead to make the grade.

World Cup-winning coach Vicente del Bosque had some advice for Bolt's new Australian club i.e. to play him in defence.

Del Bosque, whose eight-year reign as Spain coach ended after their last-16 exit at Euro 2016, said it was possible Bolt could fulfil his dream of becoming a footballer, despite being 32.

"For a team that counter-attacks hard and transitions quickly into open space, sure (he would fit in). It would be possible, of course," de Bosque, who guided Spain to the 2010 World Cup title, told the Olympic Channel.

But he suggested the 100m world record holder would be better in defence than up front.

"With space, he could be a very good footballer," said del Bosque, who also steered Real Madrid to Champions League success.

"He could be a full-back that covers a lot of space, but it depends, because it's not just about covering 100, or 60 or 70 metres of the pitch.

"It's about doing it many times over and that requires stamina which I don't know whether he has or not - although I'm sure he has prepared.

"Without a doubt as a full-back, with his back towards the crowd and the touchline, that's where he would be most useful."

Bolt, who retired from athletics last year, has previously tried out with clubs in Germany, South Africa and Norway, to no avail. He has acknowledged the pace and rhythm of football is completely different to the athletics track and said it will take time to adjust.

Del Bosque believes that if Bolt makes it as a footballer, it will rank alongside his greatest achievements.

(With inputs from agencies)

Story first published: Friday, September 14, 2018, 14:35 [IST]
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