Usain Bolt: how do Jamaicans run and run so fast?

Usain Bolt got the party started in Jamaica when he smashed the 100m world record on Sunday. It seems that party shows no signs of stopping after adding the 200m gold in record time on Thursday night.

But while Bolt has stolen the headlines at the World Championships in Berlin, his teammates have also been delivering on the track. Jamaica currently top the medals table with five gold, two silver and two bronze leading to one question: how do Jamaicans run so fast?

There is nothing fortuitous about how this poor Caribbean island, with a population of just 2.6 million people, have made the sport of sprinting their own.

Preliminary medical research has indicated that the so-called speed protein Actinen A is much more prominent in Jamaicans’ fast-twitch muscles, meaning they are naturally better adapted to sprinting events.

But what cannot be understated is the combination of a successful development programme for raw talent and a tradition that sprinting is a one way ticket out of poverty, and a route to free education.

In 1971, former world record sprinter Dennis Johnson decided he wanted to pass on some of the knowledge he had gained at San Jose State University and set up a USA-style college sports academy in Jamaica.

As Anthony Davis, Johnson’s predecessor as sporting director at Jamaica’s University of Technology (UTECH) explains: “Dennis had the opinion that the sprint is a bit like engineering – people can be taught how to do it.”

Johnson’s speed academy offered scholarships to promising Jamaican athletes who he could develop on an individual basis, while receiving a free college education.

Now, nearly 40 years on, UTECH students make up a quarter of the Jamaican athletics squad and the University has an impressive list of success stories, including Usain Bolt and former world record holder Asafa Powell.

Davis believes that the link between athletics and free education cannot be ignored.

He said: “You can’t escape the fact that in Jamaica, many of these athletes are running to escape poverty.

“Sport for many is their one chance to get a tertiary level education and make themselves a better citizen. Sport opens doors to Jamaican youngsters which would be otherwise closed for them.”

The UTECH programme is just one of Jamaica’s assets when it comes to developing young sprinters. Perhaps more importantly, is the cross-island high school sports system, which sees 120 schools compete in a national championship, in front of crowds of up to 30,000 people.

“The intense rivalry and standard of competition can give young athletes a massive boost.” Davis said.

“Because our island is so small it’s fairly easy to organise a national event with every school competing and the crowds are brilliant.”

These national high school events provide UTECH’s coaches with a chance to scout the best talent from around the isle, although Davis says they are not necessarily interested in the fastest.

He said: “Rather than trying to pick out the quickest athletes at high school level, our coaches look out for promising talent and then teach them the most effective ways to run.

“That’s why so many of the Jamaican squad run with a high front leg style. Asafa Powell was not the quickest athlete at high school level, but he showed signs that he could be moulded to run with a quick stride and he was eager to learn.”

The story of Jamaica’s rise to a sprinting powerhouse has lessons which could even be learned by some of the world’s sporting superpowers. Even with modest investment and facilities, phenomenal results can be achieved with the right grassroots strategy and attitude.

“We’ve shown that you can develop world class athletes locally without the investment and facilities other countries have available to them. We are punching way above our weight.” Davis said.

“We are at the stage now where Jamaica are going to dominate Olympics and World Championships for the next decade or so. With our current athletes inspiring so many young people to run, anything is possible.”

With young Jamaicans dominating the annual Penn Relays in the USA, and a generation of children likely to be inspired by the role models of Bolt, Powell, and Fraser, the future for Jamaican athletics looks nearly as bright as their yellow and green vests.

Source: Paul Garbett via Telegraph