Bolt joins the league of versatile athletes

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Olympic legend and eight-time gold medalist Usain Bolt on Friday made his soccer debut for the Australian side, Central Coast Mariners, in an invitational match against Central Coast Selection.

The Jamaican track & field legend's latest move to the football pitch made him the latest entrant to the illustrious list of extraordinary multi-talented sportspersons.

Central Coast Mariners' Usain Bolt in action against Central Coast Selection at the Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, Australia, August 31, 2018. /VCG Photo

Jim Thorpe

James Francis Thorpe, whose Native American name was Wa-Tho-Huk ('Bright Path' in English), was arguably the greatest multi-sports athlete of all-time.

The winner of Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, played American football, professional baseball and basketball.

Jim Thorpe, USA, gold medalist in the Pentathlon and Decathlon at the 1912 Olympics /VCG Photo

He, however, was stripped of his Olympic titles after he was found to be paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics as only amateur athletes were allowed to take part in the 'Greatest Show on Earth' those days.

But the extraordinary athlete eventually got his due when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1983, 30 years after his death, restored his Olympic medals.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson Zaharias grins and hugs the cup she received after becoming the first three-time winner of the US Women's Open Golf Championship. /VCG Photo

Mildred Ella 'Babe' Didrikson Zaharias was possibly the most well accomplished all-round female athlete of all-time. The American athlete had excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She bagged two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics and subsequently, turned to professional golf before winning 10 LPGA major championships.

Fred Perry

English tennis player Fred Perry in action against Roderick Menzel of Czechoslovakia during the championship at Wimbledon /VCG Photo

British racket sport legend Fred Perry was another multi-talented sportsperson who reached the highest level in two different sports. Playing with the shakehand grip, Perry, won the gold medal in singles at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1929 before picking up the tennis racket to win three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls attempts a layup against the Utah Jazz during Game five of the 1997 NBA Finals at the Delta Center on June 11, 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah. /VGC Photo

In 1993, just a few months after his father was murdered, Michael Jordan dropped the bombshell of deciding to call it a day from basketball and stunned his fans across the world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. Jordan's new stint with a new sport was prompted by his father's old desire to see his son as a Major League Baseball player. Subsequently, he played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, and also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League before his epic 'three-peat' starting from 1995.

Marion Jones

Marion Jones (USA) celebrates as she wins the women's 100m final during the Sydney 2000 Olympics. /VCG Photo

Fallen-from-grace American sprinter Marion Jones, whose three gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games were declared null and void following her self-admitted steroid use, joined the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA in 2009. She was part of the college basketball squad at the University of North Carolina. In 2010, the Tulsa Shock got her signed to play with the team as a professional player.

Paulo Maldini

AC Milan's Paulo Maldini in action against Reggina in 2005 /VCG Photo

Apart from the above-mentioned versatile sports achievers, a slew of other prominent sportspersons has dabbled with different sports. Former English cricketer CB Fry was once the world record holder in long jump while another Englishman Denis Compton played Test cricket for England and football for Arsenal in the 1930s.

India's World Cup-winning former cricket captain Kapil Dev played football for a leading Indian club apart from being a regular golfer. His contemporary cricket greats Ian Botham and Viv Richards played football before pursuing cricket as their prime career.

Another England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff quit cricket before getting into the boxing ring and winning a heavyweight bout in 2012. South African cricket stalwart AB De Villiers played rugby, hockey and swimming with aplomb at the junior level.

Australia's Ellyse Perry has played for both the Australian national football team and national cricket team. Former Kenyan cricket team's captain Asif Karim played Davis Cup tennis for his country.

Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a black belt in Taekwondo. /VCG Photo

Former English Footballers Gary Linekar and Gary Neville played cricket at the junior level while Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a black belt in Taekwondo.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler and Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson or 'The Rock' was a college football player for the University of Miami and won a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes team.

New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams has played Tests for the All Black and is also a professional heavyweight boxer.

China's Zhang Peimeng pursues skeleton racing after retiring from track & field. /VCG Photo

Former Chinese track and field sprinter & 200m specialist, Zhang Peimeng has been pursuing skeleton racing after his retirement.