Mumbai: “Please be seated and don’t stand when our guest of honour walks into the hall,” was the gentle but firm instruction from the smiling teacher on the stage.She was addressing the 400-odd students of Jamnabai Narsee School and Jamnabai Narsee International School, who were restless with excitement. Could you blame them? After all, how often does a student in this part of the world get to go home and brag to friends or relatives: Did you know Usain Bolt visited my school today?Yes, THE Usain Bolt. The greatest sprinter the world has ever seen. The only man in history to win the 100m and 200m gold at three straight Olympic Games, who still holds the world records in both those events. You could feel the energy flowing through the campus of the Juhu institution. As the big moment drew nearer, it was school trustee Sujay Jairaj’s turn to crank it up a notch. “Are we all ready?” he asked teasingly. “Yes,” came a loud response. “Are we all ready to see the fastest man on earth?” he asked a second time. A much louder “yes” rang around the auditorium this time.When the Jamaican legend finally made his entry to rapturous applause, a few overzealous students seated at the back momentarily forgot their teacher’s instruction. Again, could you blame them? The eight-time Olympic gold medallist soon settled into his chair for a quickfire chat during which he stressed how his love for track and field from a young age fuelled a desire in him to become ‘the best in the world’.“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to the sport. And I worked very hard,” said Bolt, adding, “And it was a tough road because it’s never easy to get to the top, but I really wanted to be the best in the world, so I pushed myself through injuries and doubts and tough times to be one of the best in the world.”Asked about what he learned through the highs and lows, Bolt grinned, saying: “The highs are always the best for me. It shows that hard work can get you to the greatest level.“When you get to that moment, winning that gold medal, crossing that finish line, it feels so good, you know what I mean? To know that the work that you did actually paid off. So for me, it’s always a great feeling that’s embedded in me, that warm feeling that you feel after you cross the finish line and win.”The session also featured questions from a few students, as Bolt recalled how cricket and the cricketers he watched as a young boy had a huge impact on him. There was someone else who did. His coach, Glen Mills. “I think I was lucky to have a coach, Glen Mills, that was like a second father to me. He really helped to guide me to be different and to grow now to be a father, to be a better adult,” said the 39-year-old Bolt, who brought his storied career to an end in 2017.Asked which he found tougher between winning his first Olympic gold medal and defending it, the 11-time world champion thought for a second, then replied: “I think defending. I think it’s easier to actually win. But when you’re being chased, it’s actually harder.”When a curious sixth grader asked him to reveal the funniest incident he experienced on the track, Bolt, for once, drew a blank. “I’ve never had that question,” he smiled, drawing a few laughs from the crowd. “Can I get back to you? I’ll have to think about it,” Bolt told the youngster, flashing a bemused gaze towards his manager.Perhaps the time he was knocked down by a cameraman on a segway (motorised scooter) while celebrating his 200m win at the 2015 Beijing world championships? It was tempting to check, but then the session wasn’t open to questions from the few reporters present.With the first part of his visit done, Bolt then headed across to the school field to attend the Mumbai grand finale of Dream Dash, a national inter-school sprint competition featuring a total participation of 400 schools across 15 cities.As the youngsters competed, some of them breaking into the distinguished guest of honour’s signature celebration at the end of their race, Bolt couldn’t resist reaching for his phone to capture some of the action. For a man who loved showboating for the cameras just before a race, you couldn’t help but wonder if it felt a tad strange, being on the other side of the lens for a change.
