Jamaicans take fast track to sprinting supremacy

ON A steamy night in Beijing, the Jamaican quartet of Nester Carter, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell sealed the handover of sprinting power from their giant neighbour, the USA, to the tiny Caribbean island with yet another staggering performance culminating in another world record.

Almost one third of a of a second was removed from the old mark, which had stood for 15 years, as the Jamaicans romped home in a time of 37.10sec.

Add to that the fact that Bolt already had the sprint double in his pocket, with unprecedented world records in both the 100m and 200m, and the picture of success is complete. Then take into account the success of the country's women and the panorama begins to take on the proportions of an all-conquering sporting empire.

Shelly Ann Fraser won the women's 100m followed home by two more Jamaicans sharing silver, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart forcing the USA out of the medals in the 100m for the first time in 32 years.

Jamaica had never before had a male or female Olympic 100m champion.

In the 200m, Veronica Campbell-Brown repeated her Athens 200m win, a feat that has not been achieved since 1980. In the annals of male sprinting, no-one has successfully defended the 200m title.

In the women's 400m, Shericka Williams claimed silver while in the 400m hurdles Melaine Walker destroyed the field to win more gold. And if anyone cared to look around the Bird's Nest stadium, the green and gold of the Jamaican strip was so ubiquitous that it has almost become a leitmotif for these Olympics.

And don't think it is only in sprinting that Jamaica excels. There were Jamaicans in the triple jump, the steeplechase, the decathlon, the women's 800m – the list goes on. They may not have won medals, but they were fighting on many fronts.

The question on everyone's lips is how a tiny nation of only 2.8 million – slightly bigger than half the size of Scotland – can be so spectacularly dominant in the blue riband events of the Olympic Games? The first answer is that appearances can be deceptive. Jamaican success is not recent, but has been going on for decades.

In the 1948 London Games the giant stride – oh, yes, it has been seen before Bolt came along – of Arthur Wint ate up the cinders of the White City in the 400m followed home by team-mate Herb McKenley. Many Jamaican observers point to that as a seminal moment in the island's sporting history because it showed that it was possible to achieve fame on the other side of the world, creating pride in the nation.

The seed had been set and a tradition was started and it is the strength of that tradition that was to become as important to Jamaicans' idea of themselves as football is to Brazilians or baseball to Americans.

The problem was that anyone seeking their fortune on the track was immediately scooped up by the American collegiate system that relied heavily on Caribbean sprinters for its cut-throat college circuit.

That in turn produced champions, but the majority were lost to their native country through burn-out. It led to the moment 30 years ago when all that was to change under the influence of Dennis Johnson.

It was Johnson, a Jamaican returning from studying in the States, who decided to integrate sports into the curriculum of the island's University of Technology, UTECH, meaning that no longer did a sportsman have to go to the States to study and sprint. He could stay at home.

But how to feed the system? Clearly the process had to begin at a younger age and the High School system was born. In truth it was established already via the Champs event which had its origins as far back as 1910.

The campaign has been developed with such success that every year more than 2000 schoolchildren compete in front of crowds of 30,000 and it is this base that serves as a feeder system for what happens in higher education.

The English Schools championships attracts just as many, but this is where the next vital element comes into the picture: the weather. Sprinters' muscles need the heat of the sun in order to flex to their full extent without inviting injury and that is where Jamaica has a crucial advantage. The facilities may be basic, but the important ingredient comes form the climate. Add that to tradition and the infrastructure that will prevent athletes going to the States and the formula for success is in place.

Bolt is a product of this very system. He studies at UTECH, lives and trains in Jamaica and was spotted and brought on the by the high school system. For those who believe he has only just emerged, it is worth recalling that he won the world junior championships at the age of 15 and broke 20 seconds for 200m before the year was out. All he has done in Beijing is confirm the phenomenon that he was then.

But there is a price to pay for all this outrageous success. Hanging in the air like smog over a Beijing rush-hour has been an inevitable degree of scepticism.

In their defence, the Jamaicans point to two facts. One is that the USA has finally decided to get serious about drugs in sport, which has made it more difficult now to get away with taking drugs. Witness the fate of Marion Jones. Clean Americans give the rest a chance to shine.

The second fact is that no island-based athlete has ever tested positive.

Dr William Aiken of the University Hospital of the West Indies also claims that Jamaicans have a high incidence of testosterone, the male hormone, aiding sporting prowess. But there are counter arguments. For instance, Jamaica is not a member of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation and though they have been subjected to non-step testing in recent months, it is in the off-season that testing is important.

But in the complete absence of any incriminating evidence, what we are witnessing is nothing less than the sporting world turned upside down and top of the pile is Jamaica.

Relay triumph completes golden hat-trick for fastest man in the world

THE world's fastest man Usain Bolt collected his third Olympic gold medal when he helped Jamaica smash the world record to win the men's 4x100 metres relay final on Friday.

Bolt, who won the 100 and 200 finals in world record times, teamed up with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell to clock 37.10 seconds, slashing 0.30 off the mark set by the United States at the 1993 world championships.

"You can't explain the feeling that you are feeling at the greatest Olympics ever. It's wonderful," Bolt told reporters.

Trinidad and Tobago finished second in 38.06, about ten metres behind their Caribbean neighbours, and Japan were third in 38.15 as the Bird's Nest was lit up by thousands of popping flash bulbs focusing on Bolt.

"This feels like a gold medal right now," said Marc Burns, who ran the second leg for Trinidad and Tobago.

"Bolt is an exceptional athlete. For the Caribbean it's just a stepping stone to open doors for Caribbean athletes like myself. No one is ashamed to come in second."

Britain, the US and Nigeria, the medallists in Athens four years ago, missed out on the final after mistakes in the heats, leaving Jamaica as overwhelming favourites for gold.

"These guys came out there and we decided we were going to break the world record. We've got a great team," Bolt said.

The victory provided Jamaica with their fifth gold medal in the sprints in Beijing after they missed out on a clean sweep of all six when the women's team failed to get the baton round in the 4x100, allowing Russia to take a surprise gold.

Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, joint silver medallists in the individual 100, overran the second changeover and, with the US failing to make the final, the race was suddenly wide open.

"We were disappointed about the women, it was wonderful for us but disappointing for the women," Bolt said. "We understand its one of those things. We're looking forward to both next time."

Russia charged through to win in 42.31 with Belgium grabbing a surprise silver and Nigeria picking up the bronze. "There's no reason for us to be disappointed because we've been having a great Olympics," Stewart said. "Maybe it was Russia's destiny to get the gold medal, you never know what God is meaning."

There were no mistakes for the men who handed over seamlessly with Bolt running the third leg and Powell, the former world record holder, sprinting clear on the last.

"This means a lot we're very happy. We're very excited to take the world record back to Jamaica," Powell said.

"Jamaica is the sprint capital and we're going to keep every record."

Bolt the showman says he's just out to have some fun

JAMAICAN sprinter Usain Bolt showed he has a tongue almost as quick as his feet when he struck back at International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge for criticising his showmanship.

Rogge chided Bolt for gesturing before he crossed the finish line when he broke the 100 metres world record last Saturday, saying he should show more respect to other athletes.

"The crowd loves it. They look for me to see me coming out. I just go out and give them a show," said Bolt, who won his third gold medal of the Olympic Games with another outstanding world record in the 4x100 relay yesterday.

"I always enjoy myself after the races and people love us. It's a great thing. It doesn't matter what anybody thinks or comments, 'cause I know I'm a fun lover and it's what I do.

"I please the fans and the fans love it. What I do I do for myself, my coach and the fans. I'm just showing my personality."

Bolt ran the third leg in yesterday's relay, letting Asafa Powell carry the baton across the line. However, he was not willing to allow his team-mate to hog the spotlight.

"Three gold medals and my three world records," Bolt said. "I asked the guys to give it to me and they came through.

"I told them 'let's go, we can do it' and they said 'we got your back'. All I can say is yo, Jamaican sprinters are taking over the world.

"We've always been the sprinters but we're going to tell them (the world] we're taking over forever."

Powell, who lost the individual 100 world record to Bolt this year, was also in a bubbly mood after Jamaica managed to secure five of the six sprint titles in Beijing.

"We're very excited to take the world record back to Jamaica. Jamaica is the sprint capital and we're going to keep every record," Powell said.

JULIAN LINDEN IN BEIJING