KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt was in a car crash Wednesday in Jamaica, but police and his manager said he was not seriously injured.

Bolt was apparently speeding on a rain-slicked highway when he lost control of the BMW M3 and it went off the road, police Sgt. David Sheriff told The Associated Press. Sheriff was the first officer to arrive at the scene in St. Catherine parish and found the car heavily damaged.

An official at Spanish Town Hospital confirmed Bolt appeared to have only scratches. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns, said Bolt was “very calm” and that doctors were examining him to make sure there were no other injuries. The official said Bolt would be required to provide a statement to police.

Bolt and an unidentified female passenger were taken to the hospital, though neither was seriously hurt, Sheriff said.

The track star’s manager, Norman Peart, said Bolt sustained nothing more than scratches from thorn bushes when he stepped out of the car on the side of the road.

“We are very relieved he’s OK,” Peart told the AP. “Everybody is fine.”

Bolt’s team will conduct tests over the next 48 hours to decide whether he sticks to his competition schedule, Peart said. Bolt has a meet Saturday in Jamaica and is set to run a 150-meter street race in Manchester, England on May 17.

The 22-year-old sprinter won the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics and was part of the Jamaica team which won the 4×100 relay. All three gold medals were earned in world record times.

Bolt was given the BMW by his sponsor Puma as a reward for his outstanding performance in the Olympics.



Associated Press writer Mike Melia contributed to this report from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AP-ES-04-29-09 1835EDT


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