Nikon D4 Used by Usain Bolt at London Olympics Goes Up for Auction
Usain Bolt ran beyond the boundaries of sports and made headlines in the world of photography earlier this year at the London Olympics. After winning yet another gold in his 200m race, he ran over to Scandinavian newspaper photographer Jimmy Wixtröm, grabbed his Nikon D4, and began shooting some awesome photographs of what he was experiencing.
Wixtröm just sent us an email with some neat news: the famous D4 is now being auctioned with the proceeds going to charity.
What we didn’t know before is that Bolt actually personalized the camera after the event by carving “BOLT #1” onto the top using a screwdriver. While the mention of the name doesn’t give the camera a boost in speed, it does make it more easily identifiable and much more collectible.
If you end up winning the auction, you’ll receive a framed 50x70cm photo of Bolt using the camera in addition to the camera itself.
Wixtröm is planning to give most of the money that results to the Swedish Cancer Society in order to fund cancer research. Another portion will be given to Bolt’s foundation in Jamaica that promotes education among young children.
The whole thing is a great story for both sporting and photography enthusiasts, and we love that it’s being done for a good cause. Here’s to hoping that they raise a fat chunk of dough!
Update: It looks like the eBay auction has been taken down for some reason. We’ve sent Wixtröm an email for more info on this.
Update: Wixtrom tells us that the original auction was removed by eBay for violating the company’s charity auction policies. A new auction has been created here.
