By now, most of the world is well aware that Jamaica is home to the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, but behind Bolt – often literally – some of the rest of the world’s fastest are sporting the Jamaican flag as well. Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Yohan Blake - the list of great Jamaican sprinters goes on and on, but how did that come to be? What made Jamaica a hotbed for churning out some of the world’s best sprinters?
As breaking down the origins of talent is difficult for any sport, there’s no concrete answer, but historically, Jamaica’s national pride in sprinting dates back to the 1948 Summer Olympics in London when Dr. Athur Wint became the first Jamaican gold medalist in the 400m dash. Since then, Jamaica has embraced Track & Field to the point of having it be a part of almost every school’s curriculum and top young athletes are encouraged to compete annually in one of Jamaica’s biggest national sporting events, the Inter Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships.
Other rumors, such as the Jamaican diet - including the famous yams Bolt credited with helping him set his first 100 m dash world record – persist in trying to explain Jamaica’s running dominance, but to date, it’s still hard to say. What do you believe is behind Jamaica being the world’s fastest country? Tell us your theories on why Jamaica is such a fast country in the comment box below, or on Facebook or Twitter.
Photo courtesy of armorytrack.com.
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From Holy Toledo, so glad I ccliked on this site first!