Photos of Jamaican gold medalist Usain Bolt with a woman who is not his long-term girlfriend are fueling speculation about the runner's private life. After photos of Bolt and the woman — who appear to be in bed together — began circulating online, the Daily Mail reports that the pair spent the night together. The Olympian has yet to comment, and much of what is being reported is secondhand or speculative. Here is what we do know.
The woman is a 20-year-old Brazilian student. She appears to have shared the photos of herself and the runner with friends via WhatsApp.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Bolt has a long-term girlfriend at home in Jamaica, 26-year-old Kasi Bennett. In this interview from January, Bolt disclosed that he has been seeing the same woman for nearly three years — and that he prefers to keep their relationship private. There is no indication that the couple has split, though it's possible. Bennett tweeted her support for Bolt during his races earlier this month.
Bolt was out in Rio on Saturday night celebrating his 30th birthday. According to reports, he was at a club in the Barra neighborhood of Rio, where he met the woman in the photos. There are also photos of the athlete dancing with a different woman.
The woman alleges that she had no idea who Bolt was. The Daily Mail reports that she talked to local newspaper Extra about what happened. "It was not a big deal. It was normal," she said. "I never wanted to be famous, I'm dying of shame," she reportedly DM'ed the paper.
Usain Bolt appears shirtless with Brazilian woman, raising questions about his relationship https://t.co/lrITE028kb pic.twitter.com/rlpJ8j7Zzh
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 22, 2016
We will update this post should Bolt comment on the story or if new details come to light.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT