By: Tony Best

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, the 2012 Olympics triple gold medal winner in London is more than just the fastest human on earth.

          He is also among the world’s highest paid athletes with gross earnings of $20 million in 2012. Most of the money came from endorsements, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The sports legend who also won three gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the 4X100m relay in the Being Olympics in 2008 is being paid millions by a range of major corporate brands such as Puma, Gatorade, Nissan, Visa, Hublot and Virgin Media. For instance, he is reported to have earned $9 million alone from Puma for wearing their brand of shoes.

          Experts put his current net worth at $30 million which they expect to skyrocket to $100 million in the next few years.

          “Usain Bolt’s net worth is going to explode even more in the coming years, thanks to his performance at the 2012 Olympics,” stated Celebrity Net Worth which tracks the earnings and the overall wealth of national and international sports and entertainment figures. “Considering Usain is only 25 years old today, he is young enough to compete in the 2016 Brazil Olympics. If that’s the case, and he stays on pace with earnings, Usain Bolt’s net worth should be well over $100 million when he arrives in Brazil in 2016.”

          Bolt, the World sprint champion, is going to New Zealand next month to promote Gatorade for which he would be paid a handsome fee.

“We are unbelievably excited to bring the fastest man on earth to New Zealand,” said Mark Callaghan, chief executive of Frucor Beverages. “Coming off his recent performance, Usain well and truly earned his place in history as the fastest man to ever compete. New Zealand is a relatively new market for the brand and we’re looking forward to launching Gatorade in an exciting way with Usain’s visit.”

Michael Jordan, retired National Basketball Association great; Peyton Manning of the National Football League; Serena Williams, Wimbledon and U.S. lawn tennis champion,; Dwayne Wade and Derek Jeter, captain of New York Yankees baseball team are on the list of top ranked sports figures who have been spokesmen for Gatorade.

Interestingly, Bolt, whose first love in sports was cricket when he was a youngster in Jamaica turned to track and field at the suggestion of his cricket coach who recognized his speed and urged him to concentrate on running has expressed an interest in returning to the sport as a professional in Australia’s limited overs cricket league, the Big Bash.

Another Jamaican Olympic medalist, Yohan Blake, has also expressed an interest in playing cricket in Australia’s domestic 20/20 Big Bash League.

“Growing up, I always wanted to bat against Brett Lee because they say he is really quick, so I wanted to see what he is made of,” said the Olympic triple medalist. “Usain and I said let’s go to Australia and play some cricket. Let’s check out the Big Bash and see what it is all about. I know these guys are really quick, but I am always ready and I am always playing cricket. I have my bowling machine and my batting machine at home, so I have been practicing and getting ready for that.”