Bolt reaches maturity
Monday 5 February 2007
In a season when the men’s 200m has been the most exciting event in track and field, 20-year-old Usain Bolt lowered his personal best of two years to 19.88 a time which would have sufficed to win the last five editions of the IAAF World Championships but ranked him only fourth in the year’s world lists!
By Laura Arcoleo
At only 20 years of age Usain Bolt has been part of world class athletics for no fewer than five seasons. Holder of the World Age bests for 15 and 16 years old, the World Youth and World Junior records, Bolt has taken a little longer than expected to deliver at senior level.
His road to success began when his country hosted the IAAF World Junior Championships back in 2002. Rarely had a junior Athletics competition produced the incredible scenes witnessed on the night of Friday, 19 July 2002 in Jamaica’s National Stadium in Kingston.
It was just past 7.35pm local time when the tall 15-year-old fulfilled the expectations of a sell-out crowd of 36,000 with a 20.65 run to win the men’s 200m final.
Overnight, he became the country’s new hero. A few months before the championships, Bolt had been catapulted to the front scene of youth and junior sprinting by winning the 200m (21.12) and 400m (47.33) at the Carifta Games. He also took the 200m in an amazing personal best time of 20.61 at the Central American & Caribbean Junior Championships a mere couple of weeks before the World Juniors.
Jamaicans knew they had found the heir to the likes of Herb McKenley and Don Quarrie - his role model - when the lanky teenager managed to overcome the tremendous pressure of delivering the World junior gold medal that a whole nation was expecting.
At 15 years and 332 days, “Thunder” Bolt had become the youngest ever male World Junior champion.
“I am proud of what I achieved today. I am proud of myself and proud of my country,” he said at the time.
For the record, Bolt went on to win a pair of silver medals in both the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays thus contributing to his country’s tally of 11 medals.
It was certain, Bolt had what it takes to become a champion.
In 2003, he won the 200m title at the World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke but such was his talent that the news would have been if he hadn’t won it.
Although he was the fastest half-lap runner of the island, Jamaican officials decided it was too early for Bolt to line-up at a global senior championship. At 17 years of age, Bolt was not included in the squad for the Paris World Championships.
On 11 April 2004, Bolt sped to a superb 19.93 World Junior record making him the first, and to-date the only teenager to break the 20-second barrier. Unable to defend his World Junior title in Grosseto 2004 because of injury, Bolt was an early casualty at the Athens Olympic Games.
“I was running 19.9 at the time,” remembers Bolt about the missed opportunity in Grosseto. “I would have won it by a country mile!”
In 2005 the Jamaican sprinter was back on track for almost a complete season, although injury struck again with 60m to go in the World Championships final.
The teenager had to deal with a growing body, the pressure of hard training and international competition putting too much strain on his knees and back. Injury would soon become too common a word for Bolt.
Until finally, Glen Mills, his coach of two years took the decision to hire a full time therapist to accompany Bolt at training and competition.
“Usain is an extremely talented young man,” explains Mills who is also the coach for the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Kingston. “But his body has been put through too much pressure. This year we have decided to hire Micky Ruben, a masseur who’s come all the way from Trinidad to work with Usain and it brought us good results.”
The good results have indeed been witnessed since Bolt broke his two-year old personal best – and still World Junior record – with a third place finish in Lausanne’s stunning 200m, the best half lap race since Atlanta’s Olympic Games.
“Shocked!” That’s how Bolt felt after his 19.88 run in Lausanne which was good for third place ‘only’. In any other circumstance, one would expect to win a race with such a performance, but Bolt was left way behind Xavier Carter (winner in 19.63) and Tyson Gay (19.70) with Wallace Spearmon a close fourth (19.90).
“The 200m has become a really exciting event,” says Bolt. “Spearmon and the X-man run very similar races, they start slow in the blocks while Gay, because he also runs the 100m, goes out quick and strong.”
“I enjoy watching them run but I don’t idolize them. Next season, they won’t beat me!”
This season, Bolt ran a total of 7 times under 20.30 including a second-place 19.96 at the Athens World Cup and a third place finish at the World Athletics Final in September. But most importantly, for the first time since his appearance on the international circuit, Bolt remained injury-free throughout the whole summer.
“2006 has been a happy season, I remained injury free and this is an achievement in itself,” explained Bolt.
Born in the northern parish of Trelawny, Bolt currently lives in Kingston and trains most of the year on a grass track at the University of West Indies. According to Mills, the 20-year-old has yet to realize what an amazing talent he possesses and how far he can go in track and field if he really puts his mind to it.
“I have always been lazy,” is Bolt’s reply. “I am an only child from my mum’s side so I guess you can say I am spoiled. I used to do absolutely nothing!”
“It’s been really rough since I turned pro, with all the injuries. I think I have realized that I need to put more effort into it.”
A very charming and affable young man, Bolt is seen by many as the next big thing. “Usain? He’s a top guy. If he trains properly, no-one can beat him,” assured IAAF Council Member Teddy Mc Cook.
An opinion which is shared by Mills: “What has stopped Usain from being number 1 this year is his lack of strength. He doesn’t like working in the weights room but at this level you have to work real hard. I believe he has gained a lot of maturity this year.”
A maturity which transpires when one speaks to Bolt. He’s a calm yet determined young man who knows that his road to global success has yet to begin.
“Winning the World Juniors, here in Kingston, that was the best ever. I hope I’ll win a gold medal at a senior championship. That is my main objective for next year.”
And Bolt knows that it won’t be an easy task given the depth the event has reached in the space of just one summer. Indeed, when Michael Johnson set an incredible 19.32 World record in Atlanta, it felt like no-one would ever approach his mark. Ten years on and, not just one, but four young men have now set their sights on Johnson’s standard.
“I think that if I manage to get a 200m technique like that of Don Quarrie, then I will be good. I need to get the strength to carry me to the finish line.”
Bolt doesn’t hide that his most immediate goals are the 200m World title in Osaka and the 200m Olympic title in Beijing although Mills would like to see him double 200 and 400m in China – “because he’s an even better 400m runner”.
“I feel like I’m getting old you know,” Bolt is all smiles. “It’s about time for me to win a major title!”
What is pleasant when you speak to Bolt is that there is no arrogance; he’s just a talented young man with a passion and a desire to fulfill his childhood dreams.
“What I have understood this year is that I need to work very hard. I really can’t wait for next season. I can’t wait to get back into the blocks,” he explains after one of his daily training sessions.
Bolt doesn’t fear the challenge the trio of American runners represent. He knows that with his natural talent and a little extra commitment he can achieve a lot. “I feel very honoured to be an ambassador for my country and I will always make Jamaica proud.”
However there is another scenario that seems to have been playing in his mind. “What would make things really interesting is if Asafa [Powell] decided to step up and run the 200m. That would be the really bad news!”
Published in 2006 Yearbook