Second, Jamaica has few other sporting options. Cricket, once the number-one sport, is not as popular as it was (American sports dominate the television channels). Third is genes: 'I just think we're genetically predisposed to run fast,' Bryan says. Fourth is what he calls Jamaicans' 'irrepressible nature', a determination to keep on going. Fifth is the terrain. Jamaica is a hilly island where the relative lack of transport means that a lot of people have to do a lot of walking. Bryan believes it is
no coincidence that Trelawny, the island's hilliest parish, has spawned the most successful runners, including Bolt, Ben Johnson, the Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter (brought low by a doping scandal), and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the reigning 200m Olympic champion. Bryan introduces me to Campbell-Brown, who lives in Florida but returns to Jamaica each year for Champs. She explains how she used to walk five miles each way to school every day: 'If I was late, I would have to jog. A lot of us have to do that here. The point is, we'd be developing as runners and not even know it.'
