Growing up in rural Trelawny in Jamaica, he had only one dream — to be a pace bowler and make a name in cricket. But then he ran into Pablo McNeil, a local sports teacher, who led him to the tracks. Usain Bolt never looked back and in Beijing last month, the fastest man on earth was hailed as the most exciting track-and-field star the world has seen in more than a decade.

“I played cricket till the junior level. I was around 12-13 when I left the game,” said Bolt during a chat on the sidelines of the Athletisima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne. Asked why he left cricket, he said: “I was not fast enough. But I was good at running. Some of my friends used to make fun that my run-up to the crease was faster than my deliveries.”

Teacher McNeil was dead right when he told him that the track was his natural home. At age 15, Bolt set a junior world record for 200m with 20.61 seconds. Two years later, he became the first junior sprinter to break 20 seconds for 200m. And in Beijing, he showed why he is the best.

Bolt retains his love for cricket and follows the game closely. “I enjoy watching Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle and Matthew Hayden. They are all aggressive players and I like it that way. Especially Freddie Flintoff because that is how I used to play.” He is very impressed by the Twenty20 format and roots for the Australian cricket team. He also follows the NBA and football — he is a Real Madrid supporter.

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