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The Bolt Supremacy: Inside Jamaica’s Sprint Factory
Beijing 2008, the 100 metres Usain Bolt slows down, beats his chest, metres clear of his nearest rival, his face filled with the euphoria of a young man utterly in thrall to his extraordinary physical talent. It is one of the greatest sporting moments. 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 Supremacy opens the doors to a community where sprinting permeates conversations and interactions; where the high school championships are watched by 35,000 screaming fans; where identity, success and status are forged on the track, and where making it is a pass to a world of adoration and lucrative contracts. In such a society there can be the incentive for some to cheat. There are those who attribute Jamaican success to something beyond talent and hard work. Award-winning writer Richard Moore doesn’t shy away from difficult questions as he travels the length of this beguiling country speaking to anti-doping agencies, scientists and sceptics as well as to coaches, gurus, superstar athletes and the young guns desperate to become the next big thing. Peeling back the layers, Moore finally reveals the secrets of Usain Bolt and the Jamaican sprint factory.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2015
12 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Richard Moore
17 books67 followersRichard Moore is a freelance journalist and author. His first book, In Search of Robert Millar (HarperSport), won Best Biography at the 2008 British Sports Book Awards. His second book, Heroes, Villains & Velodromes (HarperSport), was long-listed for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.
He is also the author of Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France (Yellow Jersey, May 2011), and Sky’s the Limit: British Cycling’s Quest to Conquer the Tour de France (HarperSport, June 2011).
His latest book, The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m final, will be published by Wisden Sports Writing in June, 2012.
He is also a former racing cyclist who represented Scotland at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and Great Britain at the 1998 Tour de Langkawi.
He is also the author of Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France (Yellow Jersey, May 2011), and Sky’s the Limit: British Cycling’s Quest to Conquer the Tour de France (HarperSport, June 2011).
His latest book, The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m final, will be published by Wisden Sports Writing in June, 2012.
He is also a former racing cyclist who represented Scotland at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and Great Britain at the 1998 Tour de Langkawi.
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December 11, 2022A decent book to understand how and why Jamaica, a relatively small nation, produces so many world class athletes. However, it could have had better editing especially towards the end of the book.
November 7, 2017
The book talks about much more than just Bolt. If you want to read an out and out Bolt biography, this is not it. But this book talks about what made Bolt come true. The book explains Jamaican culture extraordinarily. The way Moore has talked about Champs was maybe the high point of the book, in terms of expressiveness (and he's done a great job talking about it). Overall a fine piece of work that revolves around Jamaica, their sprinting culture, the inefficiencies surrounding it, Mills, Francis and of course, Bolt.
January 29, 2018
The Bolt Supremacy took a cast of characters that I was already familiar with (international-level Jamaican sprinters) and contextualized their public achievement with their private lives in a way that I found compelling and enlightening. Slightly less critical and thoughtful about performance enhancing drugs than I expected.
April 2, 2024
I love everything about Richard Moore and his early passing is a great tragedy. I’ve really only ever known him as a cycling man, whether as a biographer or of course, as a founder of The Cycling Podcast. Enjoyed this book, but I have to say I didn’t have a great deal of passion for the subject so some elements of it lost me a little bit. Nevertheless, Moore’s investigative approach, his storytelling, his empathy for both sides of the argument are characteristic in this examination of Jamaican sprinting. I did find it difficult to draw a conclusion from the book other than the skill of sprinting is probably fortified with a little bit un judicious doping. RIP, Richard Moore
September 3, 2016
Don't expect any answers from Richard Moore's detailed investigation into allegations of doping in Jamaican sprinting, but as the saying goes it is better to travel than to arrive and you'll emerge from this read with a much clearer picture of things. On the one hand, of the seven men to run under 9.80, almost all of them have been caught cheating; on the other hand, those Jamaicans caught breaking drugs rules tend to be caught using badly labelled supplements that don't enhance performance like the steroids and blood-doping infringements that have dogged American springing.
Moore doesn't say so, but I believe if you asked him directly, he would say that there is no state sponsored doping programme of the kind uncovered in Russia. His accounting of "Champs", which is apparently the hyper-intense Jamaican equivalent of school sports day - these stories alone are worth the paperback coverprice.
Must-read if you are interested in sprinting or doping in sports, but don't expect anything too revelatory on Bolt, who forms just a single piece of this fascinating jigsaw, albeit a major one.
Moore doesn't say so, but I believe if you asked him directly, he would say that there is no state sponsored doping programme of the kind uncovered in Russia. His accounting of "Champs", which is apparently the hyper-intense Jamaican equivalent of school sports day - these stories alone are worth the paperback coverprice.
Must-read if you are interested in sprinting or doping in sports, but don't expect anything too revelatory on Bolt, who forms just a single piece of this fascinating jigsaw, albeit a major one.
October 6, 2016
This is a thorough and entertaining account of the Jamaican sprinting phenomenon. Like many I guess, I bought it having some skepticism as to the athletes' success. While the book doesn't clear up suspicion completely, nor seek to, it made me feel that there are so many other factors that at play here, from diet to genetics to culture, that makes Jamaican sprinting so successful. Moore is journalistic and writes engagingly and with passion. Recommended for anyone with a passing interest in sports and journalism.
July 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this. It says a lot about jamaica by looking at one area athletics and seeing what it says about the country. I am not massively into sports and I still found this a great read.
The Dead Yard by Ian Thomson is a look at some of the less pleasant parts of Jamaica if you like this book. But both books do get some of the warmth and joy of Jamaica accross.
The Dead Yard by Ian Thomson is a look at some of the less pleasant parts of Jamaica if you like this book. But both books do get some of the warmth and joy of Jamaica accross.
May 18, 2017
Great insights into the ultra competitive Jamaican school athletics programs, coaching and the spectre of drugs in sprinting. Bolt and Shelly Ann Price are discussed in detail.
July 10, 2017
Way too long. Way too much background.
The author doesn't need 300 pages to say that their success is attributed to: possible doping, their diet, and genetics.
There, you have it !!!
The author doesn't need 300 pages to say that their success is attributed to: possible doping, their diet, and genetics.
There, you have it !!!
August 14, 2020
This is a book that straddles the ambiguous space between being a celebration of Jamaican supremacy in sprint races and a skeptical view of the likelihood that some sort of cheating is going on because the results are just too good. The author encourages the reader to ponder the arguments that people make for why it is that Jamaicans have been so successful, demolishing various arguments but not necessarily coming to any arguments himself. If this is not the most satisfying of books, therefore, because the author seems to be unable or unwilling to make a firm stand. And perhaps there is not enough evidence to make a firm stand. The reader is left to judge the case with limited information and one's own prejudices and perspectives, and the author is not too heavy-handed when it comes to discussing the temptations as well as the limitations of Jamaica as a sporting powerhouse and also a culture where success in running has allowed for at least a decent living for their current crop of athletes in the context of Jamaica if not necessarily the context for the larger world as a whole.
This book is about 300 pages long and is divided into nineteen chapters. Throughout the book the author seeks to interview people, finding himself, for example, tantalizingly close but also so far from Bolt, whose disinclination to talk to the interviewer comes off as being at least a little bit shady. The author is a journo, though, so it's not as if people tend to want to talk to such people. Still, the author explores Bolt's background, the racing culture that has developed for decades in Jamaica, including having one of if not the most developed high school track racing culture that exists in the world. There is a discussion of the educational infrastructure, the crisis of so few young men wanting to go to university, the blandishment of racing for people from poor and background areas of rural or urban poverty, and the temptations that come from those who would seek to take advantage of others and the lure of cutting off hundredths of a second from one's time. By and large if it is not a tell all account it is at least a tell-most account.
Speaking personally, I do not think that Jamaica is running a sophisticated doping operation with its runners. Like some others, I do not believe Jamaica has the wherewithal to conduct a sophisticated operation in anything at this particular moment in history. Whether or not there are some genetic advantages that Jamaicans have or whether (as I would tend to lean towards) there are social infrastructures that encouraging running as a means of escape from poverty, it does appear as if Jamaica's success involves not only the development of a competitive atmosphere of racing but also social factors that encourage running and that allow runners to profit from their athletic ability in Jamaica that would not necessarily be the case in other places. The success of Jamaica's runners does lead to an atmosphere where some shadiness likely occurs but athletics in general is pretty shady and everyone is looking for any advantage that will allow them to overcome their rivals. The author seems to concur with this, painting Jamaica's operation as quaint and amateur and not nearly the sort of professional operation one would expect if it was running a Lance Armstrongesque operation of sophisticated doping and cheating. Rather, Jamaica has built an environment where there is motivation to run as a way of getting scholarships and a chance at fame through running and a decent professional life in coaching afterwards, perhaps. And that is enough to keep the factory going.
This book is about 300 pages long and is divided into nineteen chapters. Throughout the book the author seeks to interview people, finding himself, for example, tantalizingly close but also so far from Bolt, whose disinclination to talk to the interviewer comes off as being at least a little bit shady. The author is a journo, though, so it's not as if people tend to want to talk to such people. Still, the author explores Bolt's background, the racing culture that has developed for decades in Jamaica, including having one of if not the most developed high school track racing culture that exists in the world. There is a discussion of the educational infrastructure, the crisis of so few young men wanting to go to university, the blandishment of racing for people from poor and background areas of rural or urban poverty, and the temptations that come from those who would seek to take advantage of others and the lure of cutting off hundredths of a second from one's time. By and large if it is not a tell all account it is at least a tell-most account.
Speaking personally, I do not think that Jamaica is running a sophisticated doping operation with its runners. Like some others, I do not believe Jamaica has the wherewithal to conduct a sophisticated operation in anything at this particular moment in history. Whether or not there are some genetic advantages that Jamaicans have or whether (as I would tend to lean towards) there are social infrastructures that encouraging running as a means of escape from poverty, it does appear as if Jamaica's success involves not only the development of a competitive atmosphere of racing but also social factors that encourage running and that allow runners to profit from their athletic ability in Jamaica that would not necessarily be the case in other places. The success of Jamaica's runners does lead to an atmosphere where some shadiness likely occurs but athletics in general is pretty shady and everyone is looking for any advantage that will allow them to overcome their rivals. The author seems to concur with this, painting Jamaica's operation as quaint and amateur and not nearly the sort of professional operation one would expect if it was running a Lance Armstrongesque operation of sophisticated doping and cheating. Rather, Jamaica has built an environment where there is motivation to run as a way of getting scholarships and a chance at fame through running and a decent professional life in coaching afterwards, perhaps. And that is enough to keep the factory going.
July 6, 2025
The Bolt Supremacy gives an account of Usain Bolt and the Jamaican era of sprinting dominance in the twenty-first century.
The underlying purpose of the book is to examine the concerns of widespread doping among Jamaican athletes. Use of performance-enhancing drugs has been a main area of interest in many of Moore's books, including his excellent book The Dirtiest Race in History about the 1988 Olympic final. However, in this instance, I felt his scepticism of Jamaican sprinters was overdone. Certainly, Jamaica's anti-doping body is not as stringent as those in the United States and Europe, but Moore presented no convincing evidence to suggest use of PEDs was endemic in Jamaican sprinting. His attempts to paint various Jamaican athletes as such was most troubling in relation to his main subject in the book, Usain Bolt. Although not stated outright, he seems to be sceptical of Bolt's massive improvement throughout the 2008 season and his margin of victories and untouchable world records from 2008-2o12. However, this again is unwarranted given Bolt's stellar junior record and marked improvement in both form and athleticism during this period, which makes his improvement in time understandable.
Moore interviews a number of athletes, which are interesting in parts, but I felt too much time was expended on filler, such as setting the scene of the interview, describing what they are wearing, and so forth, which do not add a great deal to the book.
Overall, a fairly unconvincing analysis of doping in Jamaican sprinting, although credit must be given for Moore's work in interviewing many top sprinters and coaches.
The underlying purpose of the book is to examine the concerns of widespread doping among Jamaican athletes. Use of performance-enhancing drugs has been a main area of interest in many of Moore's books, including his excellent book The Dirtiest Race in History about the 1988 Olympic final. However, in this instance, I felt his scepticism of Jamaican sprinters was overdone. Certainly, Jamaica's anti-doping body is not as stringent as those in the United States and Europe, but Moore presented no convincing evidence to suggest use of PEDs was endemic in Jamaican sprinting. His attempts to paint various Jamaican athletes as such was most troubling in relation to his main subject in the book, Usain Bolt. Although not stated outright, he seems to be sceptical of Bolt's massive improvement throughout the 2008 season and his margin of victories and untouchable world records from 2008-2o12. However, this again is unwarranted given Bolt's stellar junior record and marked improvement in both form and athleticism during this period, which makes his improvement in time understandable.
Moore interviews a number of athletes, which are interesting in parts, but I felt too much time was expended on filler, such as setting the scene of the interview, describing what they are wearing, and so forth, which do not add a great deal to the book.
Overall, a fairly unconvincing analysis of doping in Jamaican sprinting, although credit must be given for Moore's work in interviewing many top sprinters and coaches.
March 6, 2023
P.S. Lots of sprint metaphors in this review🙂
Usain Bolt would be proud of me, that’s how rapidly I got through this book. Breezy, informative and very well-written - the complete package when it comes to non-fiction!
As Jamaica tasted unprecedented success in sprints last decade, skeptics started seeding notions of cheating and performance drugs. Richard Moore digs deep into the fabric of Jamaican society, school system, coaches and the driven stars themselves, and weaves a fascinating report.
I was spellbound reading about the buzz around Champs’, Jamaica’s annual high school sprint event, and how even 13 and 14 year olds are household names. It was fascinating to learn about the tireless efforts of rival coaches and clubs to stay homegrown, stem the tide of talent to US universities and produce the Bolts and Powells that we know of today.
And his description of Bolt’s 100m conquest at Beijing has to be one of the most goosebump inducing sports passages you will ever read!
5/5 folks - please sprint as rapidly as you can to get a hold of this.
Usain Bolt would be proud of me, that’s how rapidly I got through this book. Breezy, informative and very well-written - the complete package when it comes to non-fiction!
As Jamaica tasted unprecedented success in sprints last decade, skeptics started seeding notions of cheating and performance drugs. Richard Moore digs deep into the fabric of Jamaican society, school system, coaches and the driven stars themselves, and weaves a fascinating report.
I was spellbound reading about the buzz around Champs’, Jamaica’s annual high school sprint event, and how even 13 and 14 year olds are household names. It was fascinating to learn about the tireless efforts of rival coaches and clubs to stay homegrown, stem the tide of talent to US universities and produce the Bolts and Powells that we know of today.
And his description of Bolt’s 100m conquest at Beijing has to be one of the most goosebump inducing sports passages you will ever read!
5/5 folks - please sprint as rapidly as you can to get a hold of this.
February 23, 2021
Really loved this book and felt like the author did his very best to give a rounded and objective depiction of all the factors at play. Fascinating stuff.
My conclusion from reading the book ... Bolt is and always has been clean. Though I acknowledge that that is very naive of me. I don't think Jamaica had the resources/wherewithall to develop a sophisticated systematic doping regime that he could have evaded getting caught all this time, his body composition was perfect for achieving what he achieved, the environment he grew up in was perfect for him, his temperament was perfect for the sport, his progression from 14 years of age onwards was not out of the ordinary, other Jamaican sprinters who were "caught" for doping were not caught for things that would majorly enhance performance.
My conclusion from reading the book ... Bolt is and always has been clean. Though I acknowledge that that is very naive of me. I don't think Jamaica had the resources/wherewithall to develop a sophisticated systematic doping regime that he could have evaded getting caught all this time, his body composition was perfect for achieving what he achieved, the environment he grew up in was perfect for him, his temperament was perfect for the sport, his progression from 14 years of age onwards was not out of the ordinary, other Jamaican sprinters who were "caught" for doping were not caught for things that would majorly enhance performance.
May 19, 2017
I have a very strange and admittedly stupid reason for why I couldn't get into this book: the typeset. The damn typeset was just ugly to look at. The font was too small. It wasn't really small, but it's smaller than most books. It's like they but the letters in two sizes too small, and it reminded me a bit of stereo instructions.
Simply put, I just plain didn't like looking at the pages, and so I found myself starting to skim more than read. And once I start skimming, it's hard to un-skim. The longer it went on, the more I just zipped through and the less I got out of it.
That's a superficial reason to not like a book - but who wants to look at a page that is unpleasant to see?
Simply put, I just plain didn't like looking at the pages, and so I found myself starting to skim more than read. And once I start skimming, it's hard to un-skim. The longer it went on, the more I just zipped through and the less I got out of it.
That's a superficial reason to not like a book - but who wants to look at a page that is unpleasant to see?
September 6, 2023
I didn't like it. The title and cover oversell the connection to Usain Bolt. Moore has made exciting track and field races into bland political affairs. I thought Moore was overly suspicious and focused on drugs and drug testing. I get that's part of the story and he did give his interview subjects chances to refute suspicions of a culture of drug use, but his bias seemed to seep through.
He's done extensive interviews and I appreciate the efforts to explore the "sprint factory" and the culture of Jamaica, but it's not much fun.
He's done extensive interviews and I appreciate the efforts to explore the "sprint factory" and the culture of Jamaica, but it's not much fun.
May 24, 2024
A reporter's look into what has made Jamaica so successful at sprinting, particularly during the mid 2000s until the book's publication. At the core of the book is the question, "Can we trust our heroes?" I found the structure lacking in tension, but the author succeeds in detailing the people and the substances central to allegations of cheating.
July 27, 2020
A borderline 5 star book.
An inside look at youth track programs on the Island of Jamaica which routinely pumps out olympic sprinters.
Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Asapha Powell are a few of the world champions that the book focuses on, while also tapping into discussions with coaches, trainers, and drug enforcement agencies.
A well researched and impressive collection of interviews that explain this unique program.
Bonus: The chapter on German doctor Wolfahrt was fascinating.
An inside look at youth track programs on the Island of Jamaica which routinely pumps out olympic sprinters.
Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Asapha Powell are a few of the world champions that the book focuses on, while also tapping into discussions with coaches, trainers, and drug enforcement agencies.
A well researched and impressive collection of interviews that explain this unique program.
Bonus: The chapter on German doctor Wolfahrt was fascinating.
September 27, 2017
Very interesting book about Jamaican Sprint Program but a long read.
July 1, 2024
Good insights. A few too many chapters on questions of doping by athletes
January 5, 2025
Some interesting parts but i was left hungry for steak to bite into.
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December 4, 2015Amazingly researched - a door into the whole Jamaican sprinting culture. Really interesting. What a phenomena Mr Bolt is. One gets a real feel of this when watching the suggested You Tube clips of him at 15!
August 12, 2016
Worth £9.99. Lots of research. Sticks to the topic.
September 6, 2016
Most expansive and informative... the best is that the focus is on a whole range of athletes...
November 3, 2016
Interesting read
August 17, 2015
This is one heck of a great sports book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews