The Irish Examiner newspaper has characterized Jamaica’s sprint champion, Usain Bolt, as “the face of the Rio Olympics,” noting that he is arguably the most famous athlete in the world and has shown himself throughout his life – even to childhood friends and teachers – as a dedicated sportsman and as a winner. Bolt himself remembers the “ragged and bumpy” stretch of grass used as a track on his school’s sports day when he was a young student at Waldensia Primary School in Jamaica. The area had been marked out with four black lines serving as lanes, and when asked if he remembered what he thought as he ran there, Usain Bolt told the newspaper, “I was thinking about winning” adding a little later, “What I always wanted was to be great” and to be remembered as one of the greatest athletes in history. While there are various theories about why Jamaicans are such a great runner,s including mention of a genetic inheritance from the days of slavery, to life-long experience running on hilly terrain, to particular elements in Jamaica’s water, and even to the nutrients contained in a locally grown yam, Bolt epitomizes whatever it is.
Bolt himself remembers the “ragged and bumpy” stretch of grass used as a track on his school’s sports day when he was a young student at Waldensia Primary School in Jamaica. The area had been marked out with four black lines serving as lanes, and when asked if he remembered what he thought as he ran there, Usain Bolt told the newspaper, “I was thinking about winning” adding a little later, “What I always wanted was to be great” and to be remembered as one of the greatest athletes in history. While there are various theories about why Jamaicans are such a great runner,s including mention of a genetic inheritance from the days of slavery, to life-long experience running on hilly terrain, to particular elements in Jamaica’s water, and even to the nutrients contained in a locally grown yam, Bolt epitomizes whatever it is.
At 6 foot, five inches tall, Usain Bolt stood out from his school days in Trelawny. According to the then head of sport at William Knibb Memorial High School Lorna Thorpe, the school recognized the “raw talent” of the young boy, and the principal offered him a scholarship because he didn’t want to lose him. At the time, Bolt wasn’t especially interested in running, but loved playing football and cricket. Thorpe, called “my second mother” by Bolt, told the newspaper that his running coach would often have to send someone to find him for training because he would run off to play cricket or football. Bolt has admitted taking his talent for granted at the beginning of his senior career, and he was criticized by the Jamaican press in 2004 for his lack of discipline. When he began working with coach Glen Mills he got serious, as Mills told him he couldn’t be an Olympic champion without training hard.
According to Dr. Peter Weyand, a physiologist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Usain Bolt shouldn’t be a sprinter at all; he is too tall, and his legs are too long for running short distances; Weyand has described him as “a freak” who defies the laws of biology. Bolt also has a different demeanor than other athletes: he is relaxed at the start of a race, playing to the crowd and throwing kisses to the cameras. He says there is no sense worrying once he’s on the line, so he just relaxes, goes in, and “executes.” Bolt is one of the best-loved athletes in the world, and according to Ricky Simms, his Irish agent, he behaves the same way if two people are watching him or if a million people are watching him; he has a genuine love for people and is always ready to sign autographs for kids he meets on the street. In a sport that has had recent problems arising from doping, Bolt’s character, integrity, loyalty and likability make him a good candidate to be the “savior” of the Olympics.
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