Athletics: Jamaicans put their sprint success down to a healthy diet

Published on Monday 18 August 2008 22:07

JAMAICA'S astonishing sprint success is down to healthy food and a dedicated grooming system, according to the country's sports minister Olivia Grange, known to all on the Caribbean island as 'Babsy'.

Jamaicans have by and large escaped the drugs scandals that have tainted the sport over the last two decades.

For example, no sprinter who trains primarily in the country has tested positive for steroids.

This island nation of just 2.8 million people are now looked to as leaders of sprinting's rehabilitation – and how the sport needs that to happen.

Grange, who was in the Bird's Nest stadium for both the men's and women's 100m victories to deliver giant bear hugs all round when the medallists emerged into the media zone for interviews, insisted that Jamaican sprinters were as clean as they come. "We have natural ability and we are the sprint factory of the world," she said.

"It's a great country, great environment, great food – and it's healthy food.

"We have a system in place from early childhood, through primary school, through high school, that really grooms our athletes. We're little but we're awesome."

Jamaica now boasts the two fastest men in the world, 100m champion Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, as well as the gold, silver and bronze medallists in the women's 100m: Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.

The system starts early. Even children as young as five compete in national races and by the time they are teenagers the fastest runners will be competing in front of thousands of fans in the national youth championships.

Genetic make-up must also play a part, something acknowledged by Grange, who added: "Little Jamaica – our country is blessed with some of the best, if not the best, talent you can find."

Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, insists that Jamaican sprinters are proud of their clean drug record.

He said recently: "It is something that we guard dearly, and it is something that the country would turn on you about if you tested positive.

"They would turn on you so strong. It's something they would never forgive."

Olympic leaders may be relieved that Jamaicans have been so dominant – before the Games, John Fahey, the head of the world anti-doping agency WADA, admitted the 100m could not afford another drugs scandal.

Fahey said: "In the blue riband event of athletics (100m) a number of offenders have been successful there and I hope and pray we do not have another event of that nature.

"Step one would be for somebody to win on merit and nothing afterwards taints it.

"We have to restore faith otherwise we are morally bankrupt."

The official clearance for both 100m finals has yet to come from the IOC, and the cynicism built up over 20 years of blatant cheating may take another 20 to disperse, but perhaps Jamaica have started the sport on the long road back to instant respect.