Bolt, PUMA, Digicel to lift William Knibb sports

WILLIAM KNIBB High School was the beneficiary of a multimillion-dollar donation from Usain Bolt, the Digicel Foundation, and sports gear manufacturer PUMA.

Usain, a past student of the school and the only athlete to win the 100 and 200 metres at three consecutive Olympics, brought the good news as he visited the school yesterday.

“I am donating $2 million to the sports programme; Digicel is going to, as of today, provide free Internet service, a saving to the school of $2 million annually; and PUMA, which has been my sponsor over the years, will be providing sporting apparel for all the teams,” Bolt announced to a gathering of students and teachers.

Principal Linvern Wright was overwhelmed by the generosity of all involved.

“This will go a far way in helping the school’s sporting budget. I cannot give enough thanks to all involved. It’s good to have somebody like Usain in your corner,” Wright said.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Usain could not put a value on the PUMA donation, saying whatever it was, it was guaranteed.

“If it cost $10, they will pay. If it cost $100, they will pay. They have given their commitment, and they will honour it,” the sprint legend said.

William Knibb have been embroiled in an ISSA daCosta Cup battle over the last two months and have qualified at the top of their first-round Zone C, scoring an impressive 49 goals without conceding.

The school has accumulated 22 points from eight games and has already confirmed its place in the second round.

Bolt said he was excited to see the recovery of the sports program and was looking forward to great things from the track team this year.

“I am excited. I notice that the principal is about the sports programme. I am excited about the work and dedication that the track programme is showing. It starts somewhere, last year, we didn’t do so well but I am looking forward to them improving this year. I am excited to be a part of it, supporting and helping push them in any way,” said Bolt.

“Hopefully, it (donation) will impact the sports programme in a positive way because that’s the whole idea. I want to encourage them, show them where I am from and that I’m back to support and give back. Hopefully, I can motivate them to do great things,” he added.

Coach of the track and field team, Roderick Miles, said the Bolt factor will provide motivation to his charges.

“It’s a big impact on track and field and the entire sports programme. We know what Bolt represents and who he is to the institution. He is all sports people’s idol, he is the biggest it can ever get. It’s not just the donation, but his presence. Just see how the kids react to seeing him,” said Miles.

According to the coach, Bolt is right to expect improvements this coming season.

“This year, I think, we have a team that’s better prepared because we started late last year. I expect good things and maybe one of the best performances for the school in the history at Champs for both boys and girls,” he said.