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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:47 a.m., Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Olympic champ Bolt in car crash in Jamaica

By HOWARD CAMPBELL
Associated Press Writer

KINGSTON, Jamaica — 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 and an unidentified female passenger were taken to a hospital in Spanish Town. Neither was seriously hurt, police Sgt. David Sheriff said.

Bolt was apparently speeding on a rain-slicked highway when he lost control of the BMW M3 and it went off the road, 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.

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."

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 4x100 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.