News analysis: Jamaica digs out sprinting nuggets from training, yams

  2008-08-21 14:34:33 GMT    2008-08-21 22:34:33 (Beijing Time)    Xinhua

    By Sportswriter Yan Hao

    BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- What a huge loss for the Olympic Games if there had not been Jamaicans running on the track in Beijing. The Caribbean country's five gold medals to date at the Games have all come from sprinters.

    Usain Bolt, 21, has won double gold medals with two stunning world records in the men's 100m and 200m sprints. The 26-year-old Veronica Campbell-Brown won the women's 200m. Shelly-Ann Fraser and other two Jamaican women swept medals in over 100m. Melaine Walker, 25, added another by breaking the Olympic record in the women's 400-meter hurdles.

    Having won three silver, one bronze, but never gold in men's 100m in previous Games, Jamaican sprinters blew the world's mind as they aggressively encroached on the old domain of the United States. Jamaica has made a statement to the world that they are awesome.

    "We have a tradition, we have natural talents, We are the sprinter factory of the world," said Olivia Grange, Jamaica's minister of information, culture, sports and youth, adding the victory was "crazy and unbelievable".

    Big screens were put up in squares or streets all over Jamaica for people to watch Bolt and other sprinters' races. On every victory, Jamaicans poured into streets of Kingston and Trelawny, which is Bolt's birthplace, to celebrate like a national holiday.

    "We Jamaicans are just born to be sprinters," said Herbert Elliott, the Jamaican team's chief doctor. "Sprint running is part of our heart and soul."

    

    LOTS OF YAMS, GREENS, FRESH AIR AND NUGGETS

    "You know why? We eat healthy and good food, lots of yams. lots of greens, lots of fishes, good Jamaican food and clean fresh air," Jamaican minister Olivia Grange told Xinhua on Thursday. "I have had Jamaican food in Beijing. Maybe you should also start to eat Jamaican food."

    There couldn't be a better way to advertise Jamaican restaurants in China for a minister's suggestion at such a time when the whole world is curious about Jamaica's secret in sprinting.

    The female minister had acted an operator at the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, conveying telephone call of the country's prime minister to their sprinting champions.

    Bolt has admitted that his home-made yams and many other Jamaican food have help him a lot in achieving the results. But he also has another favorite, chicken nuggets.

    "Actually I got up at noon and my masseuse brought me the nuggets. I went straight to the track and then masseuse brought me more nuggets. I just ate two because my coach said I should not eat so many nuggets," he said.

    No more, no less, two nuggets for two gold medals.

    

    EARLY-AGE TRAINING SYSTEM

    Nothing can stop you if you really have talent and train hard. Everyone in the world now believe that Jamaicans really have the talent. But few know that they train hard with discipline.

    "We train our sprinters from their early childhood, in basic school and then primary school, secondary school, after that is professional training where they have personal coaches," Minister Grange said.

    Bolt has been just an example who came out of such a school system. When he was only 15 years old in his primary school, Bolt won a national championships specially designed for junior talents like him in Jamaica.

    "We continue to train them when these talents were picked up. They are also involved in centers of excellence," said the minister.

    Jamaica has established two such kind of centers. One in Jamaica's University of Technology, where Asafa Powell was based. And the other is in the University of West Indies, shared by other sponsoring Caribbean countries and regions.

    "We have the fastest man and fastest junior and we have many women among some of the fastest in the world," said Grange. "There will just be more Bolts to come."

    

    GOVERNMENT-PAID GOOD COACHES

    As another reason to create the amazing myth, Jamaica also provided their sprinters with national team coaches. "In some cases they were privately coached," said the minister. "But in extraordinary events like Olympic Games, they will have coaches paid by government.

    "The ministry has an institute of sports where there are national coaches. And Usain's coach is the national coach at the institute of sports, which is an agency of government."

    In Jamaica, there are probably thousands of young people who have a God-given sprinting talent and dream to be the fastest in the world. Bolt, a simple Jamaican lad coming from a humble family together with Asafa Powell and Melaine Walker have been inspirations to them.

    "My coach has done a lot for me, taking me from like the injured to a double Olympic champion and world record holder," said Bolt when talking about his coach Glen Mills. "It is great that we have so many good coaches in Jamaica."

    "My coach is great, I executed the way my coach wanted me to. He should be proud," Melaine Walker praised her coach Stephen Francis after winning the 400m hurdles. "I believe in him."

    Also coaching Asafa Powell who did not do well in his race, Francis used to be considered controversial before Walker's success. But now he has been part of Jamaica's pride.

    "We don't have too much money, but we have the talent, ambition and commitment," said the minister.

    "We get better every day. Our young people or youth are getting better as well. So the beauty and secret has something to do with the fact that we are born with talents, we have a school system that from early age promotes physical education."

    

    INSPIRATION TO CARIBBEAN

    "Athletes from other Caribbean islands see Jamaican athletes as an inspiration and what we can do in Jamaica is to help our Caribbean brothers and sisters to be great athletes. We will improve our facilities. We will train more coaches. We will expand our sports college, the largest in the Caribbean," the female minister could not help to make a promise for her country as she always congratulated the sprinters in the mixed zone under the stadium.

    "We gonna promote more community sports facilities in all 708 communities across Jamaica," she continued. "In every single community, we are going to have intense community sports development programs."

    There maybe more Usain Bolts to come. And people are just waiting for Jamaica to unleash them to the world.