Half-Way Tree goes nuts for Bolt

Sean Harvey, a blind athletics fanatic, left the comfort of his home and ventured into the crowded streets of Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, to witness Usain Bolt create history at the Olympic Games in Rio last night.

The Calabar old boy tuned in to his radio, and listened the race through his earphones, then popped them out to take in the excitement around him.

His wide grin and animated countenance when Bolt crossed the finish line in a time of 19.78, showed that he was well pleased with the results.

Equally enjoying the merriment in the streets was a Canadian national, Scott Longyel, who was fully decked in black, green, and gold apparel, while waving the Jamaican flag, and screaming, "Usain Bolt all the way!" on top of his lungs.

When THE WEEKEND STAR asked why he was not cheering for his countryman Andre De Grasse, who copped the silver medal, he shouted, "I cheer for Bolt because I'm in Jamiaca now!"

The characters were definitely out in their numbers, not only to celebrate Bolt's win, but to capitalise on it as well. One such opportunist was poet Norma Pryce, who hails from Portland. She paraded the packed streets armed with yams and bananas in hand, the foods unofficially credited for Bolt's speed, while chanting her poem, an Ode to Bolt.

"Run Usain, run! You long foot bwoy! You faas like gun! Run, and nuh tumble dung because we know you faas cyaa done! You faasah than the American, the Trinidadian, the Tobagan, the Australian, Dominican, and the Chinese man! So run mek we jump and have fun, wave the flag high inna the sky, and no bother cry!" she belted.

Pryce explained: "I wrote it from Bolt ran in Beijing and I can't get no endorsement for it, so I come tonight to get the limelight and the push."

With last night's victory, Bolt becomes the first athlete to win the sprint double at three consecutive Olympic Games, having done so in Beijing 2008, and London 2012.

See video at www.jamaica-star.com.