LEGENDARY Jamaican Coach Glen Mills, the man who conditioned Usain Bolt to the top of the international track and field world, has credited the retired sprinter with being a major influence on the current athletics landscape.

Mills was responding directly to statements made by World Athletics president, Lord Sebastian Coe who believes that track and field is in a healthier position since Bolt’s retirement in 2017, citing greater diversity in performances and the emergence of more star athletes across a wide spectrum of disciplines.

“We loved Usain. Those years were extraordinary years; he is the Muhammad Ali of our sport. But, I think the sport is healthier now for not just necessarily focusing on one person,” Coe told the Jamaica Observer. “You know, meeting directors are not just building their meetings around one person. You’ve got a galaxy of stars that are really attracting the fans.”

However, Mills has broken his silence on the matter, highlighting the Jamaican’s influence on and off the track as a major factor in any current success and for the improvement in performances.

“I’ve examined carefully what Seb Coe was trying to say and, even though I understand him, I think though it was not articulated in a manner that played justice to Usain Bolt’s contribution to athletics during the period of the Bolt era,” Mills rebutted.

“While I agree that there are a lot more people operating at the star level post-Bolt, I would believe, and from my experience, that Bolt played a great part in inspiring a lot of these persons. In fact, Bolt has communication from quite a number of these current stars, attributing the effect that Bolt had while he was performing and, in which case, one would say that the Bolt era has made track and field much healthier now than it was when he took up the mantle,” Mills shared.

Mills underlined the reputation of the eight-time Olympic and 11-time World Championships gold medal winner as a messianic figure for the sport, and highlighted the direct and indirect influence his performances have had on the sport and its athletes.

“There were even times when people were saying that Bolt saved the sport, so I think it’s a bit disingenuous to make it appear that the removal of Bolt has made the sport much healthier because that’s the kind of impression that comes across — as if Bolt was sucking the air out of the sport,” said Mills.

“I don’t think that’s what the president meant — I hope not — but it came across leaning towards that and the history will show that Bolt’s contribution to athletics was more than just running fast times. He brought to the sport a charisma and a sense of entertainment, and removed the shackles of nervousness and tenseness that today is shown so much in the performance of athletes being able to go to the start line, entertain the public, and perform at a high level.

“Even the introduction of relay teams and so on in that carnival-like atmosphere is an extension of the Bolt era and what he brought to the competition. I remember the first Olympics he was criticised by those at the top for it and now it has taken the sport to a more entertaining level and to greater and higher performance. What Bolt has done is to rekindle the belief in athletes and athletics that superlatives can be achieved and, in a meaningful way, that keeps the sport alive,” Mills added.

Mills started coaching Bolt after the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, matriculating the youth star — not without issues — into a global phenomenon and one of the most recognisable names in international sports.

Bolt rose to the top of sport after breaking the 100m and 200m World records, first at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and again at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.