Word: jamaica
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...Jamaica has no doubts. On August 17, the country's women swept the medals in the 100m. Right after Bolt's historic turn, Melanie Walker won the 400m hurdles on Wednesday. "I talked to the prime minister, he told me that everything in Jamaica is blocked off," Bolt says. "Everyone is in the streets...
...Bolt's sprinting prowess, at least according to his Aunt Lilly, lies in a substance the precocious Olympic champion has consumed for years: the mouth-watering yellow yams she still cooks for him at Miss Lilly's Bar and Shop in Trelawny parish, deep in the hilly heartland of Jamaica known as Cockpit Country. "You can count on that," Lilly Bolt, 56, told TIME by telephone from the patio of her restaurant, where Usain also likes to dance to roots reggae music. And Bolt's performance-enhancing yams should not be confused with any kind of drug...
...That clean-cut image is a calling card for Bolt and an entire new generation of Jamaican sprinters who have taken the Beijing Olympics by storm. With Bolt shattering world records to claim gold in the men's 100 and 200 meters, and Jamaica making a clean sweep of the medals in the women's 100 meters, the Caribbean island is fast earning the title of the world's fastest country. That reputation is music to the ears of Jamaicans who, for years, have become more accustomed to hearing their country discussed for its sky-high murder rate...
Bolt's bad eating habits are somewhat surprising, given how strict his parents were. "He never got in trouble," says Herb Elliott, the Jamaican team doctor, who knew Bolt as a boy. Jennifer and Wellesley Bolt raised Usain on the north shore of Jamaica, and he turned down scholarship offers from several U.S. colleges for the comforts of home...
...Jamaica is ready to return the love. Though the country has a long history of sprinting success, no Jamaican man had ever won Olympic gold. After the race, Bolt took a call from the Jamaican prime minister. "The shops will be shut down, people will be partying in the streets," says Elliott. It's a seminal moment, mon. "This is the greatest sports accomplishment in Jamaica's history," says Paul McFarlane, a member of the healthy contingent of Jamaica fans who wore green, black, and gold in the Beijing stands. "We're just a tiny dot in the world...