BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Every opponent felt pressure more or less when he or she met a sprinter from Jamaica on the track of the National Stadium at the Beijing Olympic Games.
All of their 11 medals, including six golds, three silvers and two bronzes, were contributed by sprinters who created three world records and an Olympic mark.
Jamaica had collected 42 medals in the previous Games and its sprinters won 41 of them. Being a frequent guest in the sprinting events though, Jamaican athletes had only taken seven gold medals before the Beijing Olympics.
Usain Bolt, who stands 1.96 meters, has been one of the biggest magnets in the Olympics. The 22-year-old reigned the men's 100m and 200m and later helped his side win the 4x100m relay.
The female sprinters were stunning as well. They swept the medals over 200m, winning other two gold medals in 100m and 400m hurdles. The women's 4x100m could have belonged to Jamaica if there weren't a botched baton exchange.
"The secret of our sprinting successes is that we Jamaicans are too clumsy to run the distance," Herbert Elliott, the team's chief doctor quipped.
The country's sports minister, Olivia Grange, seized the opportunity to promote Jamaican food and fresh air to reporters.
The real endeavor behind the phenomenal achievement has been also disclosed by the minister: a national training system for Jamaican sprint talents from very early ages
Bolt is a perfect example who came out of such a school system. When he was only 15 years old, Bolt won a national championship designed for junior talents in Jamaica.
After picking up the sprint talents, Jamaica's sports ministry will arrange further training in the "centers of excellence".
Jamaica has established two such centers. One in Jamaica's University of Technology, where Asafa Powell is based. The other is in the University of West Indies.
Jamaica, the island country with a population of 2.8 million, has turned the world sprinting history to a new page. The question is: how long will they rule?
All of their 11 medals, including six golds, three silvers and two bronzes, were contributed by sprinters who created three world records and an Olympic mark.
Jamaica had collected 42 medals in the previous Games and its sprinters won 41 of them. Being a frequent guest in the sprinting events though, Jamaican athletes had only taken seven gold medals before the Beijing Olympics.
Usain Bolt, who stands 1.96 meters, has been one of the biggest magnets in the Olympics. The 22-year-old reigned the men's 100m and 200m and later helped his side win the 4x100m relay.
The female sprinters were stunning as well. They swept the medals over 200m, winning other two gold medals in 100m and 400m hurdles. The women's 4x100m could have belonged to Jamaica if there weren't a botched baton exchange.
"The secret of our sprinting successes is that we Jamaicans are too clumsy to run the distance," Herbert Elliott, the team's chief doctor quipped.
The country's sports minister, Olivia Grange, seized the opportunity to promote Jamaican food and fresh air to reporters.
The real endeavor behind the phenomenal achievement has been also disclosed by the minister: a national training system for Jamaican sprint talents from very early ages
Bolt is a perfect example who came out of such a school system. When he was only 15 years old, Bolt won a national championship designed for junior talents in Jamaica.
After picking up the sprint talents, Jamaica's sports ministry will arrange further training in the "centers of excellence".
Jamaica has established two such centers. One in Jamaica's University of Technology, where Asafa Powell is based. The other is in the University of West Indies.
Jamaica, the island country with a population of 2.8 million, has turned the world sprinting history to a new page. The question is: how long will they rule?