ACCORDING to the experts, success in sport hinges on a few fundamental principles, including speed, endurance, strength, suppleness, and the element of surprise — without which an athlete is at a distinct disadvantage.

What the world saw at the Golden Gala meet in Rome last Thursday was an athletics superstar who won the men’s 100 metres by brilliantly adhering to and executing the first three principles. Usain Bolt, after being sidelined with injury problems for the majority of last season, must indeed be commended for landing the blue riband event through sheer grit and strength of mind.

Watched by a throng of adoring fans at the Olympic Stadium in the Italian capital, and most probably, millions more in television land, the Jamaican was admittedly all over the place in terms of race execution. His start, drive phase and acceleration were far from perfect, and he ultimately prevailed by virtue of his natural talent and combative disposition, which came to the fore in the final few strides of the race.

For me, this race functioned as the proverbial ‘acid test’ for the 24-year-old on a number of levels, not least of which is the progress of his physical and mental preparation for the massive World Athletic Championship in Daegu, South Korea this summer.

That apart, the meet demonstrated the high expectations the global track and field fraternity has of Bolt, and would also have put to rest any doubt about the impact an individual can have on a sport. In fact, it was evident that this Diamond League event was marketed and promoted around Bolt, with the other athletes seemingly invited out of mere courtesy and necessity.

And so, as I watched the spectacle — inclusive of the ‘lap of honour’ around the stadium that the lanky star made, driven on a golf cart — it occurred to me that Bolt has transcended athletic superstardom and is now a budding industry, a situation that should, by now, be acknowledged by the interested parties, like his management team and sponsors, and the obligatory machinery engaged to maximise and sustain it.

This observation would have, I daresay, been confirmed by a recent report by British publication SportsPro that the popular Jamaican is currently the most marketable sportsman on the planet — ahead of basketball hotshots LeBron James and Koby Bryant; soccer idols Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and embattled golfing star Tiger Woods.

However sport, like so many other endeavours, depends on long-term success, and to maintain his dominance, Bolt now knows the workload ahead to be remotely close to where he was in Berlin two years ago. Back then, his superb physical condition was transferred to his mental state — thus the supreme, cocky attitude exuded ahead of competition.

To his credit, and as a natural sportsman who knows enough about his craft, Bolt was the first to voice dissatisfaction with his level of performance on Thursday, which was nevertheless an offshoot of the aforementioned injury circumstances. His overall condition is obviously a work-in-progress, which leads to the very interesting question of the implications of his more muscular frame this season.

For, while logic would suggest that bigger muscles equals more strength — ominous, even by the mere thought of it — ‘bulking up’ often comes with a price, with suppleness sacrificed and an athlete becoming even more susceptible to injuries due to the tautness of the leg and thigh muscles.

Interestingly, and like the glory days when Rome proudly held the global centre stage, this famed city unearthed another of its melodramatics — another side of Bolt that had not been seen since that dubious period culminating in the Helsinki World Champs in 2005 when he basically jogged the 200-metres final and in the process, invited the chagrin of many a fan.

In admitting that he was a bit nervous after not seeing competitive action for some nine months, Bolt not only showed that he was human after all, but also displayed the uncertainty that sportsmen who have had lengthy lay-offs usually do.

Against this background, it appears to me that the Bolt camp, while having every right to be satisfied with the 9.91 seconds for an opening race for the season, may yet have taken a few things for granted in the preparation of the superstar’s return.

First, I assert that Bolt’s anxiety directly stemmed from his making a comeback at such a high-profile meet, under the gaze of the entire world. Indeed, while completing the race injury-free may have ultimately been a relief, the overall experience must have placed unnecessary pressure on the athlete at this early stage of the season.

Again, one would have thought it prudent that a few test-runs right here in Jamaica to re-establish self-confidence could have been just what the doctor ordered. Indeed, there is an abundance of local meets which would be most willing to accommodate this ‘experiment’.

As it relates to Bolt, the proverb ‘Dance a yard…” would indeed be most appropriate in this regard. Who knows, he could just have learnt a few new moves!