The king of the track, Usain Bolt, sees his imminent meeting with Prince Harry, who is due to visit the island tomorrow, as a great avenue for the promotion of the country and the sporting discipline on the global stage given the spotlight that will be focused on both during this period.
Prince Harry, who is third in the line of succession (behind his father and elder brother) to the British throne, will spend four days on the island during his Diamond Jubilee tour of the Caribbean and Central America. While in Jamaica he is slated to make calls on several institutions and prominent persons, including Bolt at his Racers Track Club base on Tuesday.
“I am very interested in meeting the prince, as we all love the royal family of England and hope the spotlight will be placed on Jamaica with him coming here,” Bolt shared with The Sunday Gleaner. “So it is nice of the prince to stop by in Jamaica especially with his busy schedule,” he added.
Bolt, who holds the world records in both the 100m (9.58) and the 200m (19.19) and is expected to defend his Olympic crowns in both events at the London 2012 summer Olympics, will give Prince Harry a few pointers, but does not intend to get into anything too taxing.
“I just want to share with him my love and passion for Jamaica and certainly track and field and try to make him become an even greater fan of the sport,” the 25-year-old Bolt revealed. “Of course I will give him a few pointers on what it is like to be a world-class track and field athlete. Nothing really serious; but I know that he loves running and he should continue to do it, because there are various benefits to running,” he added.
Bolt anticipates a well run and extremely fruitful Olympics not only for himself, but all the participating athletes.
“My motivation is fuelled by my passion to become a legend in the sport and certainly meeting with Prince Harry will bring a lot of spotlight on track and field and much more recognition to Jamaica,” Bolt expressed. “All the athletes from across the world and especially Jamaica look forward to a well run and a very productive Olympic Games in London,” he concluded.
This will not be the sprinter’s first encounter with royalty, as he is also a favourite of noted track and field fan, Prince Albert II of Monaco, who expressed a desire to see Bolt run in the Principality and extended an official invitation to him for the Herculis Diamond League meet last year.
The Games of the 30th Olympiad are scheduled to take place between July 27 and August 12 in London.
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