Usain Bolt's dream: To watch Sachin Tendulkar bat
KINGSTON: In the last one week, track and field superstar Usain Bolt has been all over Jamaica -- attending parties, launching brands, practising at Kingston's National Stadium, taking time out for photo shoots, et al.
Except that he's not been to the cricket. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar -- the one batsman he says he wants to watch, and Chris Gayle -- fellow Jamaican and his best friend in cricket circles, nothing about the Sabina Park inspired Bolt to turn up. A self-admitted cricket lover, Bolt stayed away from the one-dayer and Test both.
"For me, Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers. He has done extremely well and is very aggressive. I look forward to the day when I can see him play live. That's a dream," Bolt said, on the sidelines of track and field trials in Kingston on Friday evening where fellow sprinter Asafa Powell ran and won.
Bolt was there to cheer the participants. He loves doing that and has tried not to miss too many cricket matches in Jamaica either, for the same reasons. But this time, even Gayle wasn't playing.
"I would've loved to watch him play," says Bolt, calling the West Indies opener his favourite cricketer.
Being the country's biggest celebrity, Bolt shows an amazing ability to balance his time. He either plays or likes to watch almost all kinds of sport; spends time with family, friends and fans; has an overtly busy social life, drives his own car and between all this dedicates his most important hours to practice and fitness. In the last one week, he has attended three charity events, attended a Baccardi bash, was at the city's hottest nightspot 'Fiction' for a private party, spent time at his own sportsbar 'T rack & Records' and interacted with customers, appeared at local athletic meets and taken time out to play his favourite 'Foosball' with good friend and Courtney Walsh's son Courtney Walsh Jr.
The gossip mongers further add how he also manages to divide time between many of his girlfriends.
Bolt is simply all over Jamaica. His only connections with India so far have been the two local Indian restaurants in Kingston -- Tamarind and Jewel of India -- where he eats once in a while when he's in the mood for curry and still remembers why he had to opt out of the Commonwealth Games last year -- to focus on the World Athletic Championships this year.
"In future I hope I can make it to India. I've heard there is a big fan base for me there. I like to thank them for the support and urge them to keep doing that," he says. His comments initially sound like he chooses his words very carefully. But it's only after you've listened to him for a while you realise that the superstar simply speaks his mind.
He is now focusing to reach his peak again during the World Championship in Daegu, South Korea, in August. "I want to do my best there and I am working for that. I want to be the best there," says Bolt.
Powell clocked 9.88 in Friday's heats and Yohan Blake, another Jamaican sprinter, clocked 9.83 in a wind-assisted race during another preliminary round. Bolt knows he has good competition around.
Jun 26, 2011
