Usain Bolt Proposes to Longtime Girlfriend With Stunning 5-Carat Diamond Ring
Usain Bolt had plenty to celebrate on his 40th birthday. He made sure there was one more reason before the night was over.
The Jamaican sprint legend proposed to longtime girlfriend Kasi Bennett during his birthday celebration at One Belmont in Kingston, Jamaica, surrounded by family and friends.
And he came prepared.
Bolt presented Bennett with a stunning pear-shaped diamond engagement ring reportedly weighing five carats. Photos from the celebration captured the eight-time Olympic gold medalist down on one knee with a microphone in hand before the newly engaged couple shared an emotional embrace.
Bennett later showed off the ring, putting an exclamation point on a night 13 years in the making.
Usain Bolt and Kasi Bennett Are Engaged After 13 Years Together
Bolt and Bennett began dating in 2013, but their romance wasn’t immediately a public one. They kept their relationship largely private for several years before going public around the 2016 Rio Olympics.
A lot has changed since then.
Bolt retired from competitive sprinting in 2017, closing one of the greatest careers track and field has ever seen. He remains the world-record holder in both the men’s 100 meters and 200 meters.
More importantly for the couple, they built a family together.
Bolt and Bennett share three children: daughter Olympia Lightning Bolt, 6, and 5-year-old twin sons Thunder Bolt and Saint Leo Bolt.
Just before Bolt’s birthday celebration, Bennett offered a glimpse into the life they’ve created together with an Instagram tribute to her longtime partner.
“Happy 40th birthday to my person. ❤️,” she wrote. “My love, my home, my forever. You are an incredible dad and truly the centre of our little world.”
Bennett also made clear that, for all Bolt accomplished in front of the world, it is the person away from the track who means the most to her.
“Your legacy is extraordinary, but the man behind it will always be what makes me proudest,” she continued. “So grateful to do this fun life we’ve created with you. I love you endlessly baby. ❤️⚡️”
By the end of the celebration, “my forever” had an engagement ring to go with it.
Bolt Explained Years Ago Why He Wasn’t Rushing Marriage
There is a certain irony to one of the fastest men who ever lived taking his time with marriage. But Bolt explained years ago that the wait was intentional.
In a 2016 interview with People, he pointed to the example set by his parents, Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt, who spent a decade together before getting married.
“I want to have what my parents have,” Bolt said at the time. “I want to take my time to make sure everything is perfect.” That was a decade ago.
Since then, Bolt has stepped away from the starting blocks, become a father of three and continued building a life with Bennett long after the stadium lights of his Olympic career went dark.
Now, at 40, they’re headed toward another starting line together. This time, it’s a wedding.