Before Usain Bolt was even a twinkle in his

parents’ eyes, Arthur Wint had created history as Jamaica’s first Olympic gold

medallist.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the man who was the genesis of island’s longstanding reputation of being world-beaters on athletics’ greatest stage.

Wint was born on May 25, 1920 in Plowden,

Manchester. As a young man, he made a name for himself at Calabar and Excelsior

High Schools where he was impressed at the sprints and the long and high jump

events.

However, those earlier exploits were just a

precursor to his professional feats where he would go on to create a legacy

that ensures even to now.

In 1948, as a 28-year-old, Wint would take

silver in the 800 metres event at the London Olympics, losing out to American

Mal Whitfield. The loss emboldened Wint, who was determined not to finish

behind Whitfield over the 400-metre event.

It’s said that Wint thought he could be

beaten by countryman, and more-fancied quarter-miler Herb McKenley, but no one

else. The official Olympic website recounts the race as such: “McKenley was leading on the home straight

after his trademark flying start but began to fade. Wint saw this and pushed

himself to catch his friend and rival. With 20 metres to go, he overtook

McKenley and won the race by a comfortable margin. It was Jamaica’s first

Olympic gold medal.”

Wint would go to win two more medals at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland four years later – a gold in the 4x400m relay and silver in the 800m.

He received the Order of Jamaica in 1989, three years before he passed away at the at the age of 72 on October 19, 1992.