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But what really stands out above everything else I’ve learned is the way he has handled his new demanding lifestyle with a maturity beyond his years.
While his public image is one of a young man constantly fooling around and having fun, he has made some wise decisions since the Beijing Olympics.
For me, the most interesting is that he has resisted the temptation to bring in an international marketing company and management firm to handle his business. Instead he has kept the same team of friends and family in positions of power who stuck by him when he was struggling with injuries and form in his early days as a professional.
Familiarity is important to Usain – they offer that and also a level of trust other sportspeople have often struggled to find.
Usain’s two main advisors are his best friend from school, Nugent “NJ” Walker, a qualified teacher, and his brother, Sadiki Bolt, a talented cricketer. They rarely leave his side when he’s away from the track and as Sadiki tells me, they “look out for him”.
Having been to the tiny village of Sherwood Content and surrounding rural area in the Trelawney parish that the trio come from, it’s an empowering sight to see three young men enjoying the limelight, but never relinquishing their control.
If Usain doesn’t want to do something, he doesn’t do it. It’s clear that his two closest aides help him stand strong.
His manager and mentor, Norman Peart, and competition agent, Ricky Simms, form the nucleus of Team Bolt’s commercial arm while coach Glenn Mills ensures Usain does what he needs to on race day.
All three have been with the sprinting sensation through thick and thin. The only new edition to the team since the Olympics is Carole Beckford, a respected publicist on the island, who manages the constant flow of media requests for the triple world record holder.
Ultimately, I believe the bedrock of Usain’s approach comes from the values he developed growing up in Sherwood Content.
Tourism adverts
Having been to the village on three occasions and spent time talking to the local community, they tell me that Usain’s success has improved their lives. The potholes in the roads now get fixed, running water is no longer a luxury and the village even features in Jamaican tourist board adverts shown across America.
However, despite all of this there are no signs that Usain is from the village. They aren’t “showy” people, I’m told by one resident. Trying to cash in on his success hadn’t even entered their thoughts. They are proud of him but he is still the same lanky teenager from William Knibb School to them.
His family have had a huge positive impact on his life and despite the changes in their world, they haven’t changed at all. Mum and Dad have kept their son grounded.
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