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Usain Bolt is the fastest man in history with three world records still standing tall. But the retired track legend once ran a race only to win a free lunch from his cricket coach, when he was studying in a school in Trelawny, Jamaica.
Bolt, 37, started his professional career in 2004, under the tutelage of coach Fitz Coleman. At the CARIFTA GAMES, as a debut pro performer, he flew to the 200m victory by stopping the clock at 19.93s, the first junior athlete to go sub-20 and earning the junior world record.
Bolt maintained his win streak over the years and ran sub-9.7s, a new 100m world record. But at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, he lowered the time to 9.58s. Similarly, he lowered his world record in the 200m, from 19.30s (2008) to 19.19s at the 2009 Worlds. His 4x100m relay performance in 2012 helped the US team stop the clock in a record-breaking 36.84s.
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Despite retiring in 2017, the prominence of Usain Bolt stils resonates. However, he was not initially taking training in sprinting but rather dreamt of being a cricketer. In an interview with 52 Insights, Bolt shared the story of the incident where his racing passion took form.
"At primary school, my cricket coach promised me a box lunch if I could win a race."
In the interview, Usain Bolt also shared that it was the best bet he had agreed on since he often competed with school peers over bets.
Best friend and agent shared that Usain Bolt was gifted with cricket skills
Speaking with CNN in 2017, Bolt's best friend Nugent 'NJ' Walker from Waldensia Primary School, now his agent, shared that Bolt always had a flair for cricket and would have shined there had it not been on the track.
"Bolt was the better one and would have been a successful cricketer if it hadn’t been for track and field," Walker said, who always opened the batting for the cricket team together with Usain Bolt.
In the 2024 Olympic year, Usain Bolt was announced as the ambassador for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, which will have six Caribbean venues. He grew up playing cricket in school and on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, the reason why the sport holds a special place in his heart.
"Coming from the Caribbean where Cricket is a part of life, the sport has always held a special place in my heart, and I am honoured to be part of such a prestigious tournament," said Bolt to ICC.
