Great grief in Jamaica
Father of Olympic star Usain Bolt is dead
01.04.2025 – 2:04 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Heavy stroke of fate for one of the greatest athletes in history: Usain Bolt has lost his father. The death of Wellesley Bolt moves an entire country.
Jamaica mourns the loss of Wellesley Bolt. Usain Bolt’s father died at the age of 68. Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed the death of the father of the eight -time Olympic champion on Tuesday and expressed his condolences to the family.
Holess wrote on X that he joined all Jamaicans and Usain Bolt, whose mother Jennifer Bolt and the entire family convey his “deep and sincere condolences”. The news had previously circulated in local media.
Wellesley Bolt is said to have died of the consequences of an illness on Monday. Usain Bolt, world record holder about the 100-meter distance, has not yet publicly commented on his father’s death.
In his contribution, Prime Minister Holung also praised Wellesley Bolt as a “strong, silent force behind one of the greatest sons of Jamaica”. His support and leadership would have shaped an inheritance “that the world is still inspiring”. In these difficult hours, Jamaica is firmly on the side of the bolts.
Wellesley Bolt played a crucial role in his son’s sporting career. In an earlier interview with the “Caribbean National Weekly”, Usain Bolt remembered how his father got him athletics after initial experience in cricket. “After a while my father sat down and said: ‘You have to run. Cricket is too much about politics,” said Bolt. The move to the tartan track should be the beginning of a unique career.