JOIN USAlmost everyone in the world is a fan of Usain Bolt, one of them being Indian track and field legend Kenneth Powell. Known for his style and grace during his heyday, the Gentleman Sprinter chose to pay the Chinnaswamy Stadium a visit to catch a glimpse of the reigning superstar of world athletics.
“It is really awesome to see someone of Bolt’s stature coming to India, especially to Bangalore,” said the 74-year-old. “This year has been great for Bangalore. We had the track and field legend Carl Lewis visiting us in May and now Bolt. This is really incredible.
“Before these two, we had Linford Christie and Maurice Greene. What more can athletics fans ask for. I really enjoyed Lewis’ visit though because he was in the City for a few days and I had a chance to meet him. He was my favourite athlete and it was great moment. Linford, despite his stature, bowed to me after someone informed him about me.”
When asked what question he would have posed to Bolt had he be given a chance, Powell said he wanted to know if Tyson Gay motivated the Jamaican to reach such dizzy heights. “Before Bolt, Gay was the world champion. He was really quick. I wanted to ask if Gay made him reach another level because strong rivalry is what brings the best out of champions.”
Due to paucity of time and add fun to his lightening-quick visit, Bolt’s involvement in Bangalore was limited to the cricket field and spinning tracks at a club. Powell felt it would have been great had the Jamaican ran a race. “It’s nice to see him play cricket and enjoy himself. The fans had a nice time. But it would have been great had he ran a race on an athletics track.”
Bangalore’s two other former champions, Ashwini Nachappa and Reeth Abraham, were part of the Bolt programme earlier in the day, and they too expressed similar sentiments.