Usain Bolt is, without question, the fastest man in the world. He owns therecord for the 150-meter dash, the 100-meter (where his record is a ridiculous sub-10 seconds), the 200-meter, and, as MDS mentioned, he may as well go ahead and try to add the 400-meters and the long jump trophies to a case that includes 2008 Athlete of the Year.

In the meantime though, he’s busy with a new, ahem, pet project: he just adopted a cheetah, which, as you may know, is the world’s fastest animal. Seriously.
The Jamaican sprinter’s sponsorship of the 3-month-old male cheetah is part of an effort to boost Kenyan conservation efforts of its famous wildlife, whose survival is threatened by trophy hunting, climate change and human encroachment.
But the best part is his name: Lightning Bolt!!!! Get it? His first name is Lightning (because he’s fast) and then because he’s Usain’s “child” his last name automatically becomes Bolt! (Sorry, I have no idea why I think that’s so awesome, but I do.)

Know what else is awesome? Bolt is doing this as part of an effort to PROMOTE nature conservation and to help animals and although I’m sure PETA will find a way to get angry with Bolt, it’s really cool to see someone who doesn’t need to help out this cause do so anyway.

Particularly when you consider that Bolt paid $13,700 for the cheetah and will pay $3,000 a year to care for LB, who will be placed in a Narobi conservatory. And let me tell you one other thing: if I wouldn’t feel like a total wuss for saying “OMG, THAT CHEETAH IS SOOO CUTE!” I totally would. Just saying.

Sprinter Usain Bolt is many things.  The Jamaican is a track superstar, having captured three Olympic gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4×100 relay race.  He’s definitely earned the title of World’s Fastest Man.  Now, he’s putting some of his Olympic fame and fortune to good use by adopting an orphaned cheetah cub in Nairobi, Kenya.

Now, don’t get it mixed up.  He’s not adopting the cheetah cub, which he’s named Lightning Bolt, to keep in his backyard in Jamaica.  He’s adopting it by paying for its care and maintenance in a Kenyan animal sanctuary.  His $13,700 adoption fee and monthly $3,000 check is going to go to the Kenya Wildlife Service to cover the cost of some of the many endangered and rare animals that live in that country.

It’s all to raise awareness of Kenya’s many conservation efforts to stem the tide of poaching, pollution, and human encroachment.  In a country jobs poor but animal rich, the temptation of poaching is almost too much to bear.  That’s why Bolt is lending his name and money to the cause of animal preservation.

Usain Bolt wants to play for Manchester United (seriously)Usain Bolt wants to play for Manchester United (seriously)

Since Usain Bolt gained world-wide fame for being ridiculously fast at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he’s been able to mix in visits to his favorite club, Manchester United, his other favorite club, Real Madrid, and more between running ridiculously fast. In the past, he’s talked about playing as a “left-sided defensive midfielder” when he was in high school, but now he’s seriously talking about his future as a footballer and not just his past.

Says the 24-year-old in his autobiography:

“Ideally, if I was to play football, I’d sign for my favorite team — Manchester United. People say it’s not realistic but nobody has seen me play so you never know. If Alex Ferguson saw me in one of those charity matches he might think I could replace Ryan Giggs.”

You might laugh at that last sentence, but considering Sir Alex just bought a player for £7 million sight unseen, picking the next Ryan Giggs out of a charity match could be possible.

[Photos: See more of the Jamaican speedster]

But according to the Guardian’s Simon Hattenstone, Bolt isn’t just spouting off to sell books:

I ask about his ambitions. Ultimately, he says, he’d love to make a go of playing football professionally. He’s being deadly serious. One of the perks of being Usain Bolt is that sporting stars love to meet him, so whenever he’s travelling and there’s time, he tries to train with a top football team. Last year it was Manchester United, a few days ago it was Bayern Munich. He’s still carrying a copy of the French sporting newspaper L’Equipe, which features a spread on his football skills and praise from Bayern manager Louis van Gaal. He shows me a photo of himself with his arm wrapped round the dwarfed 6ft German forward Miroslav Klose. “If I keep myself in shape, I can definitely play football at a high level,” he says.

Presumptuous? Yes. Impossible? Maybe not. His speed and celebrity would certainly get him a trial somewhere — whether he has any skills on the ball or not.

All this will have to wait until at least after the 2012 Olympics, though. At which point Ryan Giggs will probably still be playing and Bolt will probably still be carrying around that copy of L’Equipe.

Photo: Getty Images

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