If we know Usain Bolt as the fastest man alive, just know—it’s all because of his father! Yes, even the world’s greatest sprinter never really wanted to run. Cricket was his first love. Growing up in Jamaica, Bolt dreamed of becoming a fast bowler, inspired by his father, Wellesley, who was a huge cricket fan. But Wellesley? He had other ideas for his son.

Wellesley Bolt wasn’t just a strict man—he ran the house like a school principal, and when it came to education, he was famous for his no-nonsense approach. Bolt, who attended Waldensia Primary and later William Knibb Memorial High in Jamaica, might have grown up to be the fastest man alive, but in the classroom, he was one of the naughtiest kids.

The Jamaican track sensation shared this on the YouTube podcast, Meet The Mitchells, making it clear that his father’s tough love played a major role in shaping him into the legend he became. He revealed, that his father, however, had one unbreakable rule: “Mi pay school fee one time! If yuh pass, yuh good. If yuh fail, yuh haffi find di money yuhself!” No second chances, no excuses.

That meant if the young sprinter didn’t pass his exams, he had to find a way to pay his school fees—no handouts, no bailouts. So maybe that’s why Bolt never failed! With his love for sports already keeping him busy, he made sure his grades stayed up—because failing simply wasn’t an option. And that’s probably why, in 2016, Bolt famously said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” But let’s not forget—this was the same kid who was already leaving his classmates in the dust at Waldensia Primary, winning races at his parish’s school meets before the world even knew his name. But the path to track and field glory was interspersed with confusion and uncertainties, but here too, Senior Bolt would just end up having his way.

Usain Bolt tried to skip track training but his father put his foot down

But when Bolt got to William Knibb Memorial High School, he wasn’t thinking about sprinting. He was still all about cricket. “In my first year of high school, I was taking part in track and field, but I still wanted to play cricket,” he said on Meet The Mitchells. But there was a problem—he kept skipping track training to go play cricket. His coach had enough and went straight to Wellesley, saying, “Yo, di man train cricket too much!” And that’s when his father stepped in.

One day, Wellesley sat him down for a real talk. He had been watching cricket for years and knew how the game worked. “B, politics inna cricket. Stick to track and field,” he told him. Basically, Wellesley Bolt was really telling Usain cricket had too much politics, and that making it big in the sport wasn’t just about talent. He had seen how things worked over the years, and he knew that success in cricket often depended on favoritism, selection biases, and connections. He didn’t want his son to struggle through all that uncertainty.

Track and field, on the other hand, was straightforward—if you were fast, you won. No politics, no debate. Now, imagine being a teenager, loving one sport but being told to focus on another. It wasn’t easy, but Bolt listened. He committed to sprinting, started training seriously, and the rest is history.

Looking back, the Olympic champion admits, “Everybody could see my potential, but I just never ” But thanks to his father’s discipline, his no-nonsense attitude about school fees, and that one serious conversation, Usain Bolt didn’t end up playing cricket—he ended up becoming the fastest human in history.