Award-winning writer Richard Moore uncovers the secrets of Usain Bolt and the Jamaican sprinting phenomenon.
Beijing 2008, the 100 metres final: Usain Bolt slowing down, beating his chest, ten metres clear of his nearest rival, faced filled with the euphoria of a young man in utter thrall to his physical talent. It is one of the greatest moments in sports history. It is just the beginning. Of the ten fastest 100 metres times in history, eight belong to Jamaicans. How is it that a small Caribbean island has come to almost totally dominate the men's and women's sprint events?
The Bolt Supremacyopens the doors on a community, where sprinting dominates conversations and interactions; where the high school games are watched by 35,000 screaming fans; where identity, success and status are forged on the track, and making it is a pass to a world of adoration and lucrative contracts.
In such a society there is always the incentive for some to cheat. There are those who attribute Jamaican success to something beyond talent and hard work: drugs. Acclaimed writer Richard Moore doesn't shy away from asking difficult questions as he travels the length of this beguiling country, talking to anti-doping agencies and sceptics as well as to the athletes, the trainers, the gurus and the hangers-on.