Usain Bolt, the World record holder of the 100 & 200m and, gold medallist at three Olympics & Don Quarrie, an Olympic 200m gold medallist in 1976, 2nd in the Olympic 100m Final and, six times he gained a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Both from Jamaica. I only interviewed Usain Bolt once, after he had achieved his first 100m World record in 2008, but talked to Don Quarrie, at least five times, in London. Both athletes were from Jamaica. I will first show you what Usain said to me then and, give a run down on Don Quarrie’s Olympic win at Montreal in 1976.
USAIN BOLT
(1.95(6’3) 94kg) Born 21stOf August 1986)
“For me when I was at Primary School, cricket was my sport and my father took me to cricket when I was 6/7 and we would stay watching all day. When I was 9 or 10 I was a fast bowler and it was suggested, I should give athletics a try and in my first race on Sports Day I won and, in those days’ we were running 100 or 150’s”
It was in those days he showed fantastic talent early on. At 15 years and 332 days he ran 20.58 for 200 m which was an age World record. Again at 16 and 17 years of age. Although he continued to run fast times every year his rate of progress was hampered a little at one stage.
‘The period of adjustment after I came out of High SchooI I got injured and the first two years or so it was a kind of challenge. I had to build from scratch again. It was OK’
In 2008 he decided to run the 100. The consequence of that was he broke the 100m Worle record in New York on the 31st of May with 9.72. He had run 10.03 and a 45.28 for 400, as personal best’s in 2007 with a 19.75 for 200 in 2007.
.He said about 2008 “This season I would do the 100m more because I did so well last season. The training helped for that’
It had been noted by me that, when I Talked to Tommie Smith and Henry Carr that they, did not want to concentrate on the 400, as opposed to the 200, as it was such hard training & racing the event and, they preferred doing the 200 which they, of course, were so successful at.
For the 200m around the time Usain, ran up against the best at the time in 2007 s ,before Usain really broke through again in 2008. I thought Usain Bolt could achieve a World Class 400 time?
“Maybe in the future I may do it.
Which was his favourite event, he came back with ‘
‘The 200It was always my favourite event. Definitely the 200
Which 200m runners did he most admire?
‘Don Quarrie, I have watched him in a couple of races and he is brilliant at cornering, very smooth and Michel Jounson is another”
DON QUARRIE (Born Kingston, Jamaica January the 5th 1951— 1.72/5’870kg/155lbs
What type of training did he do before the Olympics in 1976 in Montreal before he won the gold in the 200?
“Basically a week’s work out. When I am more or less
In shape would be like this: Monday, I would do 330’s (depends on what the meets are as to how many I will run);
Starts and 110’son Tuesday, 220’s on Wednesday. Thursday I would run some starts and some 110’s on Friday.,
if I don’t have a meet maybe 2x150 on the Thursday and rest on the Friday.”
Olympic Final Montreal the 26th of June 1976
1 (Lane 2) Don Quarrie 20.23 (20.22 photo finish recorded)
2 (Lane 4) Millard Hampton (USA) 20.29
3 (Lane 7) Dwayn Evans (USA) 20.43
4 (Lane 1) Pietro Mennea (Italy 20.54
5(Lane 8) Ruy da Silva (Brazil) 20.84
6 (Llane 6) Bogdan Grzejszczsk (Poland) 20.91
7 (Lane 3) Colin Bradford (Jamaica) 21.17.
Did Millard Hampton or Dwayne Evans pose any problem for Don?
“ I am not Taking anything from them but I was more determined to win than to really run a fast time because I came off the turn two or three yards ahead of them, and instead of going into my usual lift, where I would have gotten up and really stretched. I just kept on running. I saw Millard Hampton coming but I did not panic because I Knew I was strong enough to hold him off so I made sure, instead of trying to drive away from him I started pumping my arms a little more just to hold him off.”
Was he surprised that the European Champion Pietro Mennea was not amongst the medals?
“I figured as he had got lane one that he had not got a chance, because Mennea can not run a turn. If he gets lane 8 he would have run better, even if he came off last, then it would have have made him run the turn betterr. As He was in Lane One , at no stage of the game was he in contention and by the time he got into the home stretch and, started running everybody was gone.”