MONTEGO BAY, St James - A beaming Wellesley Bolt touched down at the Sangster International Airport here at about 6:15 am yesterday, full of excitement at having made the trip to Beijing, China, where his son Usain shattered the 100m and 200m world records and helped the 4x100m relay team set a new world record at the just concluded games of the 29th Olympiad.
"I enjoyed it all...the whole thing...it was great, just great," he told the welcoming party comprising journalists, representatives of his corporate sponsors, Digicel Jamaica, and the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Wellesley Bolt (left) regales Joy Clarke, Digicel's regional sales manager, Western Jamaica, with tales from Beijing, China, yesterday on his arrival at the Sangster International Airport. (Photo: Pat Roxborough-Wright)Wellesley Bolt (left) regales Joy Clarke, Digicel's regional sales manager, Western Jamaica, with tales from Beijing, China, yesterday on his arrival at the Sangster International Airport. (Photo: Pat Roxborough-Wright)
Initially reluctant to make the long trip to eastern Asia - he feared the almost 20-hour journey would prove too much for him - Bolt senior left the island last Tuesday at Digicel's insistence to join up with his son hours ahead of his 22nd birthday.
Yesterday, he said he was very happy he went as the experience was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
"I became a celebrity...the people there mobbed me, wanting my autograph...and things like that. The police had to take me away," he said excitedly. "Then when I saw Usain after the 200m, he said, 'Daddy, how do you feel?' I said 'great' and we hugged...it was great," he said.
Looking smart in blue denims and Puma brand tee, cap and shoes, Wellesley Bolt said the first thing he was going to do when he got back to his home in Sherwood Content was rest.
However, in spite of his fatigue, he spent several minutes regaling journalists with anecdotes from the Beijing experience before Digicel's representatives saw him off in the red Mitsubishi Grandis motor van they rented for his convenience.
The conversation covered almost everything about his son, from his upbringing and diet, to his engaging personality, reflected in Usain's on-track dancing celebrations which ticked off the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge.
"It doesn't matter what anybody wants to say...it's the yam, banana, coco," Wellesley Bolt explained. "Usain loves yam, it's only when he got older that he began to like rice and peas.and he always had a quart of cow's milk every morning."
On arriving home, he found it impossible to sleep and within hours it was back to business, writing up bills for his grocery shop.
"I could have gone to sleep as nobody realised I was back since it was a strange vehicle. But I'm not used to sleeping in the day, so it's back to work for me," he told the Observer later in the day.
Bolt's mother, Jennifer, who is spending a few days in London, is expected back by the end of the week, while Bolt is expected back some time next month.
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