Jamaican Athletes are the World’s Best Sprinters

The world’s fastest runners come from Jamaica. In the past decade most of the sprint events have been dominated by male and female runners from the Caribbean island. Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Verona Campbell-Brown are among Jamaica’s world record holders and Olympic gold medalists.

Running has changed in Jamaica. In former times sprinters were poor people who came from the slums. When they saw they had talent they got scholarships at American colleges. They experienced world class training there but, nevertheless, did not feel at home. Today, Jamaica has the money to employ top coaches, so Jamaican sprinters stay at home. Here they are more relaxed and can perform better.

In Jamaica, children start running at a very early age. When they get to school teachers and athletic coaches watch them run and walk. Then, depending on their talent they are sent to track and field clubs. Most of the country’s world class runners started out in the two leading track clubs. At school track meets crowds of teenagers get together to compete with each other. Running is very important in Jamaica and winning a national title or a school championship is something really big.A tough competition may be one of the reasons Jamaicans are so good.