‘Forever Fastest!’
LONDON, England — They started it all by providing son Usain Bolt with his first pair of running spikes.
And fittingly, parents Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt presented their iconic son with his final pair of track and field running shoes on Tuesday here. The pair of shoes by main corporate sponsor Puma is called Bolt Legacy Spikes.
The Jamaican sprint ace, who will be hunting his fourth World Championships 100m title, will don the purple and gold running shoes before hanging up his spikes forever.
Bolt, who had just finished his Puma press conference on Tuesday, looked surprised as his parents appeared from backstage to present the star with the spikes made exclusively for his last competitive appearance in London. The colourful spikes are designed to show details from key moments of his amazing journey.
“The colour purple is my school colours when I was in high school. That’s where it started. The gold is: I am the golden boy. Purple and gold — they are nice,” said Bolt.
The right shoe is labelled “Forever” and has the alpha symbol to represent the beginning of his career. The shoe is in the purple and green from William Knibb High School where he started on the track.
The left shoe is labelled “Fastest” and has the omega symbol to represent the finish of his career. The left shoe is gold to represent his successes and the sock liner highlights his major achievements since 2002.
The tongue of the spikes have Bolt’s signature and a mark of his classic pose embossed. The Jamaican flag is also incorporated to show his home country, the flag under which he competed.
“They blessed me with some speed,” said Usain Bolt after receiving the pair of running shoes from his doting parents.
His mother Jennifer said just watching her son is so exciting, still she wants to cry. “It’s just a funny feeling, but it’s joy and I am overwhelmed,” she noted.
Bolt’s dad Wellesley said one piece of advice to his son from a tender age is still applicable even today.
“I said to him in the earlier days, Usain, hard work pays out, nothing comes easy. If you fall by the wayside, just get up, brush yourself off and move on and you will reach the top one day’,” he told the press function.
Usain Bolt will wear his Legacy Spikes on the track in London and limited pairs are available at select retailers.
— Howard Walker