Usain Bolt in Australia to start new football career

Former Olympic gold medalist athlete Usain Bolt arrived in Sydney on Saturday to start his soccer career.

Bolt had announced that after retiring from athletics, he would continue his career in professional football.

He agreed in principle with an A-League Australian football team called Central Coast Mariners for a 6-week trial period. A-League is the top-level of Australian league system.

The 31-year old former sprinter was welcomed at the airport by many supporters and journalists.

Bolt said: "I want to play football and get my opportunity. I'm going to show my best, as always."

"I always put my best foot forward and I'm just going to show the world what I'm made of," he added.

If Bolt becomes successful in the trial period, it is expected for him to sign a one-year contract with the soccer club.

Former Jamaican sprinter was born in 1986 in the Caribbean country.

He bagged nine gold medals in the Olympics and 11 gold medals in the world championships in total.

In the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, apart from getting the gold medal, he ran 100 meters in 9.69 seconds, 200 meters in 19.30 seconds and broke the world record in both categories.

A year later, Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin to advance his record further.

Bolt also advanced the world record in 200 meters with 19.19 seconds in the same championship.

In 2012 London Summer Olympics and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, he also won the gold medal in both 100- and 200-meter races.

The Jamaican sprinter is the first man in history to win the 100 and the 200 in three consecutive Olympics.

*Fatih Hafız Mehmet contributed to this story from Ankara.