When Jamaican sprinter Warren Weir told Usain Bolt about his career change, the Olympic icon cut a bemused figure.
After all, Weir finished behind only Bolt and fellow Jamaican great Yohan Blake in the 200m event at the 2012 London Olympics to secure a bronze medal.
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It meant Weir helped create Jamaican athletic history, as the 200m race was the first time the Caribbean nation enjoyed a podium clean sweep in a men’s event.
The 35-year-old even clocked a personal best time of 19.84 seconds as he claimed the bronze.
However, when Weir injured his hamstring at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, he recognised his time on the track was nearing its end.
But his sporting career was not.
Speaking to the Jamaican Gleaner in 2018, Weir – who was 28 at the time – conceded he was struggling to keep up with the younger generation that was coming through.
“I don’t plan to be here all the days of my life trying to compete with these youngsters,” Weir said.
“I have somewhat created a legacy and I don’t intend to ruin that by keep getting beaten and losing.
“It’s important to know when to move on and to help the youngsters to transition into a state where I was.
“It’s not about quitting. It’s about knowing when to move on.”
With Weir knowing the curtains on his athletic career were about to be drawn, he decided he would try his hand at rugby sevens.
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Rugby sevens is far less physical than the 15-a-side format of the game and players blessed with speed, like Weir, can exploit the multiple gaps across the field.
In fact, it was the Jamaican rugby sevens team that approached Weir, rather than the other way around.
But the Olympic medallist was all too keen to try his hand at the sport.
Speaking to the Olympics Channel, Weir revealed how his former rival Bolt reacted to his career change.
Safe to say, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist was rather surprised.
“Bolt’s a good friend of mine and we see each other at the track a lot,” Weir said.
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“It’s just chatting and jokes. When I told him that I was going to rugby he was like, ‘Yo, bro are you joking? You’re so slim!'”
It was just three months later when Weir made his rugby sevens debut as he represented Jamaica at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.
The Jamaican team, also known as the ‘Crocs’, finished third after beating Trinidad and Tobago 26-5 in the bronze medal match.
Although Weir was pleased to pick up a medal in his new sport, his main ambition was to help the Crocs qualify for the rugby sevens event at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, his dream failed to materialise, as Jamaica finished last in their pool at the final qualification tournament.
They lost all three of their matches against France, Hong Kong and Chile, scoring just ten points and conceding 102.
