Usain Bolt pens heartfelt wish for late father on his birthday

Usain Bolt recently penned a heartwarming message for his father, Wellesley Bolt, on his birthday. The global icon's father passed away at the age of 68 after a prolonged illness.

Bolt is one of the most formidable personalities of the track world, considering the notable accomplishments he has achieved in his career. The Jamaican athlete has earned eight gold Olympic medals and 14 World Championship medals, including 11 gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. Apart from his stellar skills, another reason behind the champion's accomplishments is his father, who encouraged the athlete to pursue a career in athletics.

Bolt's father passed away on March 31, 2025, in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, after suffering from a lengthy illness. Following this unfortunate incident, the athlete has frequently shared updates about his late father, and most recently, he penned a heartfelt wish for him on his birthday. Taking to his Instagram handle, he uploaded a picture of him and wrote in the caption:

"Happy Birthday Pops"

A few weeks ahead of this, the Jamaican gave a special tribute to his father by sharing a few pictures from his funeral and expressed his emotions about him with just a one-word message on social media. He uploaded pictures of himself talking about his father at his funeral and penned a caption that read:

"LEGACY"

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Usain Bolt opened up about how his father's advice made him choose track and field over cricket

Usain Bolt has had a flourishing career in track; however, this sport wasn't his first choice. In his initial days, he played cricket for William Knibb Memorial High School, and amid this, his talent for sprinting came to light. Reflecting on this in his memoir, Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography, the athlete opened up about how his father realized his talent and pushed him to choose track as his career.

The Jamaican revealed that his father convinced him to choose athletics, stating that his career in cricket may be compromised by politics; however, a track career would only be based on individual performances.

"Pops set me straight on the matter. Cricket, he said, would prove to be a political game for me, rather than one that was based on my talents and hard work. A coach's team choices were sometimes swayed by favoritism, but in athletics, a person was selected through his times and personal bests," said Usain Bolt.

He added:

"In cricket, there are other people involved because it's a team sport. It can get tricky. You could play well, better than anyone else, but if the coach has a favorite, then you might not get picked. That happens quite a lot in life, and it's unfair. But in track and field, you're the boss of yourself."

After his father's demise, Usain Bolt received heartfelt messages from several athletes, including Michael Phelps and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.