Bolt trolls to remind of social distancing

Social distancing, the practise of maintaining physical distance from others, has become critical in the fight to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected close to 1.5 million people worldwide. Sprint legend Usain Bolt demonstrated the ideal way to practise the preventive measure by lightheartedly referencing an iconic moment in his career.

The multiple Olympic and World champion posted a picture on Instagram yesterday of his 100m final victory in Beijing in 2008. The photo sees Bolt crossing the line with his arms stretching in celebration two feet away from the competition. The photo was captioned "Social Distancing. #HappyEaster". The post was well received, registering over 450,000 likes with majority of the comments showing a positive reaction to the humour shown by Bolt.

Jamaican diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, gymnast Danusia Francis, and NFL player J.J. Watt were among the athletes who commented under the post with laughing emojis, appreciating the banter displayed.

While Bolt, in his unique way, was encouraging others to stay safe during the health crisis, he also contributed to the local relief effort by donating $500,000 to Telethon Jamaica on Sunday. The event raised funds that will go towards purchasing necessary equipment for healthcare workers and testing kits in Jamaica's fight to contain the spread of the virus. In an instagram story posted on Sunday, he said that he was pleased to lend his support to the cause.

"Happy to donate J$500k to Telethon Jamaica-Together We Stand," he said.