Today the world is once again standing up to applaud Jamaicans for their sporting achievements by one of their athletic heroes Usain Bolt as he is recognized as the fastest human on the planet. The country has experienced its shares of problems through the years , but nevertheless it's people remains undaunted and committed to pressing forward , and one cannot help but admire that quality. Trinidad’s silver medal effort by Richard Thompson is also an excellent effort and the young man deserves all the credit and rewards that are due to him by our grateful nation. I am one of those people however that have always talked via this forum of replicating success. Let’s face it folks, Jamaica is surly a phenomenal athletic success and must be given full props. The fundamental question therefore is why is this case? Almost like close neighbor Cuba that has produced some of the best doctors in the world and is known for remarkable and advanced medical achievements , Jamaicans with much less resources at their disposal are able to parlay two 1976 Montreal victories into a wonderful system that enabled them to compete with the best.

Rumor had it that the young Hasley Crawford had to struggle solo in his early days as he tried to develop himself into a world class successful Olympian. The oil rich nation as usual pulled out all the stops to show pride and recognition for his role in helping to put the country on the map when he became the fastest human on earth. It is possible that he Crawford might have had some small influence on later successes including our former Senator Ato Bolton and possibly present day Richard Thompson.
I do not have the facts, but something tells me that Jamaicans were able to better capitalize on their early successes of national hero Don Quarry, and the results are what their young people are exhibiting today. I have a gut feeling that the Jamaicans saw this as a noble cause, and so invested in a comprehensive and cohesive program that helped propel many of their young into superstardom.

It is said that when Brazil looses a football World Cup people commit suicide. Some years ago a Colombian goal keeper was murdered for allowing a goal against an opponent. That obviously is too much passion for a Trini and we definitely would not condone such actions at any time. I’ll tell you what, if Jamaicans can utilize sports to provide hope and opportunities for citizens, it is not a bad thing to attempt to emulate especially when you have the means like Trinidad. Sports do appear as a frivolous investment by some, but when ever that flag is hoisted and your anthem is sounded any where on the world stage, it is priceless.

It is only a thought, but I say enough of this haphazard operation where our own leaders continues to fail to provide support for positive youthful ambitions, but are only prepared to pander and jump on bandwagons when individual successes are achieved. Offers of houses, cars, and financial packages are excellent rewards incentives after v, but a proper sporting academy run by some of our present and past heroes can also bear huge returns for us all. The narrow 1976 policy handout for Crawford did not help him and the nation's youth very much. The last time I checked replication for Senator Ato Bolton was equally futile. Do not expect to see greater benefits with we clone similar actions for silver medal holder Mr. Thompson -our new hero.

People do not want to be like basketball Michael Jordan, Brazil's football Pele, boxing Mohammed Ali, and running Usain Bolt by chance. Don’t be surprise that up next is an innovative and ambitious plan to make Jamaica the ‘Mecca of the Steel-pan’ and the home of greatest Carnival in the world. This success business can be very infectious, so watch out and Trinidad, be forewarned Brazil. Congrats once again Mr. Bolt along with your 2.6 million fellow patriotic citizens. It clearly look like most of you are aware of and grasp the true concept of what nationhood is all about. “Out of many one people,” makes a lot of sense.