The fastest man to have ever lived was in East Lancashire on Monday, cheering on Blackburn Rovers in a surprise visit.

Usain Bolt, a multiple gold medalist and widely considered the greatest sprinter of all time, dropped in to watch the Blackburn Rovers under-15s team in their game against Burnley on Monday, March 20.

He also stayed at a Ribble Valley hotel owned by Rovers legend David Dunn, where he met “starstruck” fans and enjoyed a few games of darts.

On their official Twitter account Blackburn Rovers posted a picture of Usain with the under-15s squad.

A spokesperson for Rovers said he was there with friend and former Bolton Wanderers winger Ricardo Gardner, whose son Che Gardner is on trial with them.

Usain, who has eight Olympic gold medals and two world records, and retired from sprinting in 2017, stayed at The Avenue Hotel in Brockhall Village during his visit.

The hotel’s David Cook, general manager, said Usain was down-to-earth and happy to pose for photos with guests and staff.

He said: “We were all starstruck that a man of his stature walked into establishment.

“He came in and enjoyed a couple of games of darts with the locals and hung around with them for a bit.

“He was a nice guy, so normal and down to earth - he wasn’t too bad at darts either! He spoke to everyone and was happy to pose for photos with everyone."

Lancashire Telegraph: (L-R) Usain Bolt with hotel owner Howard Halliwell (L-R) Usain Bolt with hotel owner Howard Halliwell (Image: Facebook/The Avenue Hotel)

David said his visit was great publicity for the hotel and hopes he will be back one day, maybe even for Soccer Aid in June when he will play alongside Blackburn's Lee Mack.

Bolt, who famously fuelled his Beijing 2008 successes just on chicken nuggets, was also a fan of the food served up at the Avenue.

He said: “We are so honoured that he chose our hotel to visit.

“I think he chose to stay at our hotel because of our location. It’s quite rural and quiet with a lot of privacy.

Lancashire Telegraph: (L-R) David Dunn, one of the hotel owners, Usain Bolt and Ricardo Gardner(L-R) David Dunn, one of the hotel owners, Usain Bolt and Ricardo Gardner (Image: Facebook/at The Avenue Hotel)

“He also might have heard about the pizzas we serve here too. We are quite well-known for our pizzas, made by an Italian chef.

“He enjoyed the food and had no complaints.”

Usain isn’t the only celebrity that has been welcomed to the hotel, which has also hosted numerous Blackburn Rovers players as well as ‘Torn’ singer Natalie Imbruglia.

Usain is set to appear on this Soccer Aid once again this year. 

He will captain the World XI again with former Republic of Ireland and Tottenham striker Robbie Keane serving as a coach for the team.

Lee Mack, Steven Bartlett and Kem Cetinay are some of the players that have been announced for the game at Old Trafford on June 11 in aid of Unicef.