Sixteen-year-old, Std XII sprinter Agastya Kar races straight to cloud 9 after Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, in city on official visit, autographs teen’s arm; vows to turn sign into tattoo
Agastya meets Usain Bolt, requests an autograph; (right) Bolt agrees and signs on Agastya’s arm. Pics/Atul Kamble
Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt created the memory of a lifetime for Agastya Kar, a Std XII student at Jamnabai Narsee International School (Juhu), when he signed an autograph on the shoulder of the 16-year-old on Friday. “I really did not expect it. He was not signing anyone else’s jerseys or books. So, I decided to walk up to him and said: ‘If you sign my arm, I will get it tattooed,’ and he found that hilarious, so he decided to go for it. It was amazing. I plan to get the autograph made into a permanent tattoo really soon, because for me this is like a lifetime achievement,” an ecstatic Agastya told mid-day, before adding that his parents were sceptical about his plan to get a tattoo, but since they know how much Bolt means to him, they reluctantly agreed.
Bolt signals that the autograph is done; (right) Agastya breaks down in tears
Usain Bolt is not just the fastest man on track, but he seems to be rapid off it too, as the students of Jamnabai Narsee International School (JNIS), Juhu, can attest to. The Jamaican sprinter took to the stage 10 minutes before his scheduled time of 12:30pm on Friday, garnering rapturous applause and cheers.
Agastya Kar shows off the autograph of Usain Bolt on his arm
Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, quelled the curiosity of several students during a short fire-side chat, while also giving them some golden words of advice through his own life lessons.
“Hard work and dedication” was the theme Bolt, 39, kept echoing throughout his conversation with the kids.
Bolt does his trademark pose; (right) Jamaican Sprint King Usain Bolt enjoys batting at the JNIS, Juhu, on Friday
“It’s never easy to get to the top, but I really wanted to be the best in the world. To do that I had to push through injuries, doubts and tough times, but it was all about dedication. Ultimately, all the hard work paid off and the warm feeling that you get after you cross the finish line is great,” said Bolt, a world record holder in the 100m (9.58 secs) and 200m (19.19 secs) sprints.
The jovial Jamaican also reiterated his love for cricket at the event organised by Dream Set Go — with JNIS as the venue partner — stating: “I was always a huge cricket fan growing up. Watching the way cricketers worked, the way they pushed themselves, and how they carried themselves, these were things that inspired me at a young age.”
Bolt then signed a golden shoe as a memorabilia for the school to keep before dishing out some more pearls of wisdom.
“First of all, do what you love. That’s very important. When you love something, you put more effort into doing it. It never feels like work, it’s more of a joy. But understand that the road is never easy. There are always ups and downs, just believe in yourself and continue doing it. No matter what, do not let anybody tell you that you cannot do it,” Bolt signed off, before taking a selfie with the audience and disappearing through the exit as swiftly as he had come in, staying true to his moniker as the ‘World’s fastest man.’
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Age when Agastya started training to be a sprinter
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