If he wasn’t the fastest man on earth, then Usain Bolt could have been among those towering fast bowlers who would send shivers down a batsman’s spine as they turned and started their run-up. Michael Holding, Joel Garner ...
Bolt holds the world record for the 100 and 200-metre sprints. He has achieved the unprecedented Triple-Triple, winning the 100, 200 and the 4x100 metres relay gold medals in three successive Olympics. He is the greatest sprinter of our time.
But it’s not just because Bolt is the fastest man on earth that there is a sense of wonder around him. It is because of his larger-than-life personality. He feeds off the crowd as he gets ready on the block, sometimes holding a finger to his lips asking his fans to be quiet so he can focus. But that is all a part of the Bolt drama. He loves the roar of the crowd because that sets him up for the effortless hunt and that famous victory pose — a dancehall music move. Bolt is a Jamaican, reggae runs in his blood, just like sprinting.
The 200-metre heats at the Rio Olympics epitomise Bolt. Canadian Andre De Grasse, who won a bronze in the 100 metres, chased Bolt down and made him run faster, even though it was only the heats. Bolt found it funny, grinning as he crossed the finish line. The two men hugged and Bolt later quipped De Grasse ought to have slowed down — the frenetic pace unnecessary because it was only the semifinal. It was bromance at its best. The crowd loved him more. And then there is his mother, Jennifer, who wishes that once the Olympics are over, her son should settle down and start a family.
The human touch adds to his endearing persona. The real persona, of course, is Bolt the sprinter on the hunt in the true spirit of an Olympian — champions are allowed to eat fried chicken once in a while.
