by Usain Bolt
I want to get married some day, but that will be after I retire from track and field, definitely not before. I’ll take my time to meet the right girl, I don’t want to rush into anything. Right now I’m too busy with my career and enjoying life to settle down. I do want children soon, though, some time after the next Olympics.
I’ll be strict as a dad too, because it was how I was brought up. I will have my own way of doing it, and I don’t think I’ll be as strict keeping my children in check, the way Dad did with me. I watched and took note, and I saw where my dad went wrong and how he lost direction a little bit. He stifled me by not letting me go out much and treated my sister the same way. He didn’t give us any free space.
My children will have more freedom, but I’ll expect them to be good at school. It’s all about trust and knowing your kid will do the right thing. I knew this girl at William Knibb who went to parties from the age of 15, and her dad had no problem with her going because he trusted her. He explained life to her, about how guys are, and she never had a boyfriend even by the time she was 18 – and she had plenty of offers – because she felt she was not ready for one. She was allowed to go anywhere. Her dad knew she wasn’t going to do anything wrong, and that’s the way to go.
If I had a daughter I wouldn’t be extra strict, because if a father behaves like that, he can lose her. I’ve seen it happen with my sister. Your daughter will start to sneak around and do all kinds of crazy stuff.
If my first child is a boy, though, I’m going to warn him about track and field and how very hard it will be for him. I don’t just mean the training required. Can you imagine the pressure he will be under as the son of Usain Bolt? From the moment he can stand on his own two feet he will be expected to run to the shop quicker than anyone else in the village. I’d prefer him to play a different sport. Maybe that is when the Bolt name will feature in football.
I don’t see myself as an athletics coach. I couldn’t do that, I don’t have the patience. Some of the young athletes just do what they want and don’t listen. If you have your own family you don’t have the time to be stressed by those big guys as they grow up.
No, I want to be able to pick and choose what I do when I retire. I’m going to build a massive house in the country with a huge bedroom which has a rotating bed in it and a sliding window to take in the sunset. I saw it on the Snoop Dog and Pharrell music video “Beautiful” and thought, “Oh my God, that is beautiful.” The house will have lots of land, with a basketball court and a football pitch, and I’m going to build a course for quad biking. I realise that at this stage of my athletics career quad biking would not be the wisest thing to do. If I even mention it to the people who look after me they go, “What! You can’t do that.”
It’s like the whole of Jamaica is telling me not to do anything dangerous. I went to a showroom to ask about buying an ordinary motorbike, and the salesman, who wasn’t looking at me at the time, quoted a price. Then, when he raised his head and saw who it was, he said, “You’re not getting a bike.” He was happy to do himself out of a sale rather than have me put my athletics career in jeopardy.
I don’t have any insurance against my career being ended. My management looked into it, but I told them not to bother, it was so ridiculously expensive. I decided we should invest what the premiums would have been and get on with life. I don’t think I’ll ever be short of money whatever happens.
I don’t know exactly what I’ll do when I retire. Leave it to me to find something very interesting. Whatever it is, it will doubtless attract a lot of attention. My life has been a fascinating journey already. Let’s see what happens next.
When Usain was six weeks old, he fell off the bed. I’d left him there, not realizing he could push himself off, and it was the first indication of how active he was. He would never be still and I thought something was wrong with him, which is why I took him to see the doctor. The doctor said he was a hyperactive child who needed to use his energy up but was otherwise fine, and I would have to get used to it.
My early memories of him in sport are as a cricketer. I’m keen on cricket and could see Usain was a good batsman and bowler, but at the age of 12 we had to make a decision about whether he could continue playing or should concentrate on his running. After talking to the teacher it was decided cricket had to go.
I never dreamed Usain would get to the level he is now, but you could see he had a lot of ability. If William Knibb was prepared to award him a sports scholarship he had to have something going for him. His mother and I used to run 200 and 400 meters at primary school, so I suppose he must have got some ability from both of us. Maybe it was just the right combination. It annoyed me, though, when he didn’t dedicate himself to training, and I had to be very strict with him about it. He knew what was right and wrong and what would happen if he didn’t do what he was told.
His mother and I had a good relationship with Usain, it was a happy home. Sometimes we would all sit together and play cards and dominoes, and he’s never lost his love of dominoes. When it was time for study he had to go off with his books. Even when we knew he had a special talent as an athlete I would say, “Your education comes first. Anything can happen to you on the track, but if you haven’t got anything in the head then there is nothing that can come out to help you .”
I went to as many of his track meetings as I could when he was growing up. He raced at the Junior CARIFTA games in 2001, when he was 14, and did well, but that was only against other Caribbean countries When he won the world juniors that was much bigger, and he won the Rising Star Award for 2002 and 2003.
That was his first really big race. I remember watching from the end of the stadium and how he had to work really hard down the straight to win, but he had the determination to do it. The race was on television too, and people across Jamaica got to know the name of Usain Bolt. They would come and congratulate me on his performances, but I wasn’t taking it for granted that he could step up to senior competition.
There have been plenty of junior stars who have never made it, and his development was halted because of injuries caused by his back problem. That was a worrying time and I think it would have been better if he’d missed the Athens Olympics.
With Mr Mills as his coach things improved, and you could tell Usain was confident again. I heard a newsflash on the radio when he broke the world 100m record in New York and I was like “What?” I felt bumps all over, I couldn’t believe it. Then Usain rang to tell me all about it, and we had a laugh because I’d told him not to run in it. I thought 100 meters was just for fun and he should be doing the 200 and the 400.
I didn’t go to Beijing at first. I don’t like long flights. Then, when he won the 100 meters, his sponsors Digicel persuaded me to go. I had to fly to Los Angles and on to China, and in total it took 19 and a half hours. I found the whole experience a little scary. Though I missed the 200 meters as well, I was there when he won the relay. I enjoyed the party afterwards too, I was mobbed and was signing autographs, which was an unusual experience, I’d never done that before. The police had to pull people off me. I looked at Usain and thought, “Really, this is my son?” How can a father not be proud?
I went to the World Championships, which was another long flight, and I almost lost my voice shouting during Usain’s races. It’s a wonderful thing for a dad to see his son break two world records. He’s so relaxed when he’s running, you wonder how fast he can go.
It’s all so far removed from our quiet existence in the country where I’ve spent all my life and where Usain grew up.
I used to work for a company called The Coffee Industry Tourist Board as an extension officer, advising farmers how to grow the beans, then checking whether they needed fertiliser or what kind of spray was required to treat diseased plants I worked there for 16 years until I was made redundant just as Usain finished high school . Then with the redundancy money and a little help from Usain I opened a grocery store, selling meat products like cow’s feet and dried goods.
After Usain won the World Championships I don’t think two days would pass without somebody visiting from another country. There were people from Belgium, Sweden, China, everywhere, wanting to see where he grew up, where he went to school, where I worked, everything. I woke up one morning at 6. 30 a.m. and there were cars full of Germans who wanted to meet us. We’ve done so many interviews I’ve lost count. I don’t mind and, as Usain says, “Daddy, it’s just part of it, so you have to do it “
When you are in Europe and you see the attention he gets, it’s crazy. I don’t know how he deals with it. Like his running, he takes everything in his stride.
I would also like to thank the team of readers, NJ and Carole Beckford, along with the team at HarperCollins who made sure this book was published really well.
From my community in Trelawny to the fast-paced city of Kingston, Jamaica and to the world, I have met thousands of people and each kind word from you means a lot to me.
Media has changed so much since I became a junior champion in 2002 and I would like to show appreciation for the support; social media - Facebook and Twitter are just phenomenal. Thanks for all your support.
Hard work, dedication and talent are three factors to my success so far, but I would like to give thanks to GOD for taking me thus far.
My journey continues...
All photographs courtesy of Mark Guthrie with the exception of the following: pages 4–5, Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press/Press Association; page 7, Tarik Zawdie/Merrick Cousley; pages 8-9, Karen Fuchs; pages 10-11, Sipa Press/Rex Features; page 13, Tarik Zawdie/Merrick Cousley; pages 16-17, Karen Fuchs; page 18, Bongarts/Getty Images (top), Karen Fuchs (bottom); pages 20-21, Kibo Thompson/Franz Marzouca; page 23, Lehtikuva OY/Rex Features; pages 46 & 49, Karen Fuchs; page 52, Norman Peart; page 55, Carole Beckford; pages 56-57, Karen Fuchs; page 60, Getty Images; page 62: Real Madrid via Getty Images (top right), WireImage (bottom left), Karen Fuchs (top left, bottom right); page 66, Karen Fuchs; page 78, Karen Fuchs; page 79, AFP/Getty Images; page 81, AFP/Getty Images; pages 82-83, Karen Fuchs; page 90, AFP/Getty Images; pages 92-93, 96 & 103, Karen Fuchs; page 106, Getty Images; page 109, AFP/Getty Images; pages 110-111, Sports Illustrated/Getty Images; page 112, AFP/Getty Images; page 113, Sports Illustrated/Getty Images; pages 116 & 117, Karen Fuchs/Rex Features; pages 120-121, Tony Marshall/EMPICS; page 124, Lehtikuva OY/Rex Features; page 128, AFP/Getty Images; pages 130-131 & 132, Bongarts/Getty Images; pages 134, 135 & 136-137, AFP/Getty Images; pages 138-139, The Jamaica Gleaner; page 141, Getty Images; page 142, Karen Fuchs; pages 144-145, Sports Illustrated/Getty Images; page 147, Karen Fuchs; page 148, AFP/Getty Images; 151, Sports Illustrated/Getty Images; pages 154-155, AFP/Getty Images; page 158, Bongarts/Getty Images (top left), AFP/Getty Images (top right), Getty Images (bottom left), AFP/Getty Images (bottom right); pages 161 & 162, Getty Images; pages 164-165, Karen Fuchs; page 166, Carole Beckford; pages 168-169, AFP/Getty Images; pages 174-175 & 176, Karen Fuchs; page 177, Tarik Zawdie/Merrick Cousley; page 183, Getty Images; pages 200-201, Kibo Thompson/Franz Marzouca; pages 234-235 & 243, Getty Images; pages 248-249, Karen Fuchs/Rex Features; page 254, Collin Reid/AP/Press Association; pages 274-275, Tarik Zawdie/Merrick Cousley; page 277, Carole Beckford; page 284, Kibo Thompson/Franz Marzouca; page 288, David J. Phillip/AP/Press Association. Childhood photographs of Usain are courtesy of the Bolt family. Endpapers: Mark Guthrie.