While he is still struggling to get back about $12 million stolen from him by a local investment company, Jamaican and global track icon Usain Bolt lost his father, hours after he was rushed to a hospital in the capital, Kingston on Monday. He was 68.
Local media reported that Wellesley Bolt had been ailing for some time with a stroke but he took a turn for the worse and was rushed to the hospital. He was rushed from his home in the northern district of Trelawny where he succumbed on Monday.
Tributes have been pouring in to the family from all quarters in Jamaica. Prime Minister Andrew Holness echoed sentiments in the local sporting community, saying that the senior Bolt had been instrumental in his son’s dominance as an athlete, noting that he was the “quiet force behind one of Jamaica’s greatest sons.”
“We have all witnessed the deep love and respect you’ve always shown for your family. You celebrated them with pride, and in doing so, you reminded us of the importance of family in our own lives. As you grieve this great loss, the prayers and support of an entire nation are with you. We mourn with you, we stand with you, and we honor the memory of your father alongside you.”
Minister of Sports Olivia Grange, meanwhile, also paid tribute to Wes Bolt saying that “every success that Usain has achieved can be attributed to the confidence given to him by his ever-supportive mother and father. I offer my sincerest condolences to Jennifer, Usain and the rest of the Bolt family on the passing of Wellesley, or ‘Gideon,’ as he was so affectionately called by friends and neighbors in Trelawny. It is going to be a difficult time, but I encourage them to be comforted by the memory of a very good father,” she said.
His dad is credited with steering his son away from cricket and football pitches where he had excelled and had watched his son dominate international track meetings while sitting in the stands.
