The Tribune

By ALPHEUS FINLAYSON

HE holds the distinction as the “fastest human on the planet.” He burst on to the international scene as an elite athlete setting new standards in the sprint events and blazing new trails that left many wondering if his world records will ever be equalled or eventually broken.

Now many are asking if the world’s top sprinter, who earned the name “Lightning Bolt” in The Bahamas at the 2002 CARIFTA Games, will return for the IAAF/BTC World Relays this year.  

Born on August 21, 1986 in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica, this tall slim youngster named Usain St Leo Bolt drew world attention at age 17 when he broke the world junior 200m record.

Four years later he broke the world 100m record in New York City and followed that by smashing that record and the world 200m record at the Beijing Olympics, and aiding his country Jamaica, known for dreamers and sprinters, in setting the world record in the 4x100m.

A year later in Berlin, at the IAAF World Championships, Bolt set two unbelievable records again, this time 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m.

At the London Olympic Games he was a part of the Jamaican 400m relay team that dipped below 37 seconds, running 36.84 seconds, a new world record in the process.

Since 2008, Bolt - with the exception of false starting in the 100m at the Daegu World Championships - has won every World Championships and Olympic short sprint event, including the 400m relays he participated in. He was also a part of Jamaica’s two other world records in the 4x100m relay, Beijing and Daegu at 37.10 seconds and Daegu at 37.09 seconds.

Last year at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Bolt was not in top form but anchored the Jamaican 400m relay team to victory.

In each of these events mentioned, Usain was the defining athlete making him the greatest sports star in the world.

Some call Usain a “freak of nature” and with his 6’5” frame is the tallest of all sprinters. He has won his events by large margins and has been able to relax in the process, which appears to be a significant ingredient in his monumental success.

This stardom has led him to play at the NBA All-Star Game in Houston and race at the Copacabana beach in Rio, the site of the 2016 Olympic Games.

Bolt’s Influences

Moving from his home in Trelawney which has the “best yams in the world”, Bolt trains in Kingston under the guidance of coach Glen Mills and manager Norman Peart. He demands the highest appearance fee of all track and field athletes at the moment.

His parents Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt are his steady supporters.

Away from the Track

The slim kid from Trelawney, where the world’s best yams are grown, is fun loving, loves partying, dance hall music and fast cars.                                    

Bolt’s Bahamas Connection

The CARIFTA Games is an annual Caribbean and Central American regional track and field championship which was spearheaded in Barbados in 1972 by Austin Sealy, a banker and diplomat and president of the Barbados athletics federation.

At his first CARIFTA Games in Barbados in 2001, Bolt finished second in the 200m in the under-17 division to Bahamian Grafton Ifill III, whose grandfather Grafton I hailed from Barbados.

The Games moved to Nassau in 2002 and IAAF president Lamine Diack accepted an invitation to attend the Games.

In Nassau he saw the youngster, who had been called “ThunderBolt,” win both the 200m and 400m with record times of 21.12 seconds and 47.31 seconds.

As he crossed the finish line Bolt indicated that there was a “real sense of excitement” as the fans shouted “Lightning Bolt.”

The nick name that he got in The Bahamas has stuck with him since. He struts the “Lightning Bolt” pose after each victory to the delight of his numerous fans.

Three years later the youngster, then 18, returned to Nassau and participated in the Central American and Caribbean Senior Championships and won the 200m.

It should be known that there is a great Jamaican population in The Bahamas and Jamaica is one of the most patriotic nations in the world.

Usain at the IAAF 2015 Bahamas World Relays?

On our departure from the 2013 Moscow World Championships, the writer asked Usain about his participation in the inaugural IAAF World Relays. This was the question Bahamians were asking. He replied that it was his manager Norman Peart’s decision.

The Jamaicans were looking at smashing the world 4x200m relay record. As it would happen Usain had a foot injury that delayed the start of his 2014 campaign, and cut it short.

The Jamaicans, led by Yohan Blake, who had not participated in 2013 due to injury, did set a new world 4x200m record. With Bolt they can smash this record again.

We are aware that with or without Bolt the stadium will be packed to capacity. If he does participate this year, however, the fans in the stadium, including the loyal base of Jamaicans in The Bahamas, and fans via television, will witness the world’s top sports star strutting his stuff. Get your tickets now!