Usain Bolt makes $2M donation to former high school to support youth sports

Former Jamaican track and field athlete Usain Bolt donated 2M USD to his alma mater, William Knibb Memorial High School. This was the seat of the 8-time Olympic gold medalist's early footing in the track world.

The cricket coach of the school was a pivotal figure who had encouraged Bolt towards track and field. Bolt recently showed a heartfelt gesture towards this institution and donated $2M so that the students of the school can compete at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships, known as CHAMPS.

Bolt shared a post on his Instagram handle where the principal of his former school can be seen addressing the students and informing them about Bolt's donation. William Knibb Memorial High School's principal was heard saying in the video:

"He (Bolt) has sent a message to the school in two ways, one of the things he has said, Principal no matter what is happening to me, I am still committed to my school, I am still committed to contributing to this school. Whatever is happening to me, whatever I'm missing right now is not going to affect the commitment I made to the school of $2M for CHAMPS."

This donation from Bolt comes amidst a money scam that he faced from the Stocks and Securitues Limited back in 2023, which made him lose more than $12M.

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"I am not leaving my mom"- Usain Bolt shares his perspective on not joining any foreign college

Usain Bolt running the 100m event during the 2012 London Olympics (Image via: Getty Images)

Usain Bolt explained his decision to not commit to any foreign collegiate programs after his high school stint. In a conversation during Ready Set Go podcast, the 38-year-old said that he was too close to his mother and didn't want to leave her as he was the only child.

Additionally, Bolt also added that the collegiate system was not good for the Jamaicans during his tenure and that the pro athletes emerging after college didn't have the same potency. He said (via Ready Set Go, 48:10 onwards):

"I didn't even think about going to college overseas because to me, I was young, I'm from the country, I didn't travel a lot. I was really close to my mom, I was like I am not leaving my mom, I want to be close come an only child for my mom. I was really tied to my mom, so I got the opportunity to stay.

"The college system wasn't good for Jamaicans... I think if you watch a lot of these athletes that went to college, they came pro and it wasn't the same."

During the conversation, Usain Bolt also remarked that college track athletes needed to run every week across several events that tire out their bodies.