Bolt’s father wishes son had put off retirement for two years
A month and a half before Usain Bolt runs his last race, father Wellesley Bolt decided to quit too. His small grocery store, painted in pink, where he sold provisions -meat, fish, rice etc -- for 15 years shut down last week.
Another store owner, who sells limited stuff, mostly beer, laughs when asked about the reason why Mr Bolt shut his shop. “Probably, he’s got a lot of money now,” he bursts into laughter as two ladies sitting in his dimly lit shop catch the infectious laughter.
I had been looking for Mr Bolt for a while now. His house was locked and the shop had been shut. A visit to the Baptist Church opposite the shop too ended in vain before I sat at this shop, next to his home for information and began chatting up. The laughter of the shop owner suddenly ended as a red Toyota Hilux pulled up. “There he is, Usain’s dad.”
The tall gentleman had come to get the TV antenna repaired in the shop annexe. He opened the door, got accosted, refused to speak saying commercial obligations don’t allow him to speak to media. But then he gave in for a little chat after some coaxing.
“I am 61 and I too need to retire. I have been working for a long time. I worked for the coffee board for 16 years and then started the store in 2002. I’d been doing business there for 15 years,” he explained.
“Usain has been telling me for a long time to quit, relax and enjoy the rest of my life. Well, now I’ll travel to watch him run his last race. I’ll go to Germany for the next race and from there on a tour to Europe before the final London race.”
Bolt Senior’s house is pretty big as compared to the other dwellings around. Usain though has his big house in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.
“He comes on Christmas or holidays. Otherwise, it is difficult as he is usually training abroad or lives in Kingston.”
These 10 years since he rose to superstardom with Beijing gold have been mostly good, he says. “There have been ups and downs. We had a few bad times when he suffered some injury but most of the times it has been good.”
“It is a sad moment that he is going to retire. But of course, he knows his body best and he said it is time for him to go, so we as parents have to just admit it and go along with his decision.
“At 31, I think he could probably do another two years but we cannot get him to do it but we have to just accept it.”
“Of course, I know that a lot of Bolt fans are very disappointed he is leaving the scene but as you know at times you have to leave when the time comes. It is very difficult but let us enjoy the rest of the sport.”
The single carriage, narrow road that leads to Waldensia Primary and Infant School, Usain Bolt’s school, has potholes and is broken at places. It can barely accommodate two cars passing each other from opposite directions. But the road is flanked on either side by dense foliage, lending it beauty. There are sugarcane plantations, coconut trees etc.
The school lies at the beginning of Sherwood Content. It is set at a height on a hillock with Bolt’s mural in his landmark celebration style marking it out. There is a map of Jamaica painted beside it. There are messages asking students to think before they speak, read books etc. The school is basic, having minimum facilities. At the foot of the hill is the pre-primary school. The entire landscape, it seems, encourages running even though there are no facilities, not even a track.
The school celebrates its graduation day on Thursday (July 6) as sixth standard kids prepare to go to higher school. Bolt’s teacher and close family friend Cherone Seivwright had left early to get her hair done for the function. The other teachers were overseeing a choir song to be sung at graduation which goes something like, “If you believe… your dreams can come true”. Bolt’s success has made them believe in miracles, a teacher says.
The principal Claud Rowe, who had gone to collect disposable thermocol plates, pineapples etc from another town for the function returned after a while. He is young, hasn’t taught Bolt and sits over basic infrastructure, almost nothing for sports. But he explained the talent at his disposal, “We already have plenty of good runners and high schools are already showing interest in some. You’d be surprised to see the talent unearthing, the children here have natural ability.”
“It is somewhat a bittersweet moment (Usain Bolt running his last race). Personally, I’d hope he would have given us a couple of more years. But we are extremely proud and rooting for him. As he said, he wants to end on a high.”
“His success empowers us in the sense that whatever adversity we face we have the determination to succeed. It is a motivation for teachers and students knowing that he sat in the same classrooms and he has elevated himself to such a level.”
Rowe said Bolt has helped them build infrastructure for school and comes visiting at least once a year. “He comes without his bodyguards, has a treat for the children in the community and interacts with kids, everybody gets a present. But he has been doing a whole lot for the school in terms of helping us with infrastructure. Years ago he fitted us with restroom block with modern facilities and helped us out with our resource centre, providing us with computers etc.”
The principal went down to the foothill where kids were playing. He asked them a few questions, including their message for Bolt. They all say in unison, “Good luck Usain Bolt. We love you.” The sound reverberates around the hillocks. One of the kids then replied, “I want him to break the world record.”
The road that leads down to his house breaks into two. The right one flanked by his mural welcoming people to the ‘Home of Usain Bolt’, leading to a Usain Bolt Gift Shop and then to his father’s house. The left one takes you to his former principal Miss Flash.
On way to Miss Flash’s, a young man sat alone on the roadside. Andrew was Bolt’s junior at school. He said, “He (Bolt) is representing Sherwood Content people and we are all praying that he becomes victorious. He is a legend. Hope he beats his own record.”
A lady Daphene led to Miss Flash’s house. She too wants Bolt to win the gold. Miss Flash has been ill and can barely speak but she came out after unlocking the padlock and collapses on the chair. She had been quoted a lot
LAST HURRAH Usain Bolt’s father will travel across Europe and watch world’s fastest man race at the World Championships
and repeats quite a bit of that. “He was the second brightest boy, the brightest is now his manager,” she said before adding that turning around while leading in a race and teasing others has been Bolt’s old habit.
Miss Flash says she is always nervous, and even for the last race she is. She wants him to do well, wishing him best of luck.
Usain has been telling me for a long time to quit, relax and enjoy the rest of my life. Well, now I’ll travel to watch him run his last race
Most said that Bolt, although playful, was well-mannered and never gave trouble.
Maxine, a lady who knows his family and has seen him grow up says, he’d run three kilometers almost every day before school. “His family was hard-working. Mother knitted dresses even as father worked. But Usain never gave any trouble.”
Father Wellesley explained the travails faced by them in handling him. “He was a very playful child. It was hard to control him because doctor said he was hyperactive so he would go up and down, moving and climbing, so we had to be careful how we operate with him.”
He comes without his bodyguards, has a treat for the children in the community and interacts with kids, everybody gets a present
The shop owner mentioned earlier felt Bolt’s success has given them facilities and brought the village onto national map. “But still a lot needs to be done. The roads are broken again, need to be repaired. We need proper water supply,” he says.
Bolt Senior says apart from that locals feel they need a Usain Bolt museum. “We need a museum so that people can come and visit. As of now, there is nothing that tells the story of Usain. A museum will attract people, especially after his retirement.”
It was hard to control him because doctor said he was hyperactive so he would go up and down, moving and climbing