“The greatest spectators in the world” JAAA president Pat Anderson called the crowd at last week’s World Junior Athletics Championships. And who could disagree? It was not only the unmatched passion with which the Jamaicans fans roared on their compatriots that made them so special, but also the wonderful generosity of spirit with which they cheered every performer of excellence regardless of nationality. Competitors described the crowd as “awesome” and some foreign victors carried the black, green and gold as well as their native flags on their laps of honour. All of which proved once again that whatever our faults, at our best there are no more vibrantly delightful people than Jamaicans. As Sam Johnson might have put it, not only entertaining in ourselves but the cause of entertainment in others.

These championships also showed that when motivated we can do at least a competent job of management, though they were far from flawlessly organized. The patchy opening ceremony in a nearly empty stadium was embarrassing, and the disjointedly lacklustre closing show was only rescued by the natural vitality with which the performers interacted with the athletes at the end. Ticket promotions also started late and as is not uncommon at the stadium, the ticketing system almost collapsed under the weight of a very large crowd. But in true Jamaican style we managed to get the big things right and made up for the rest with exuberance.

And the vibes weren’t only felt locally. As an article on the IAAF website exulted “Final day is magic in Kingston - Rarely has any major athletics championships produced the incredible scenes witnessed tonight in Jamaica’s National Stadium …” The country’s spirits were certainly brightened, and were I P.J. Patterson I might be tempted to take advantage of this national good mood and call elections in August.

Our athletes of course performed brilliantly, and we shouldn’t overlook our coaches’ excellence. They did a world class job of getting their charges fit and primed to run their best races at the right time, an especially remarkable feat when you consider how threadbare the resources they have to work are with in comparison to their USA and European counterparts’.

Usain Bolt’s 200 metre win and Aneisha Mclaughlin’s fourth to clear first relay run were no doubt the two most outstanding Jamaican performances, and if these youngsters develop well physically and keep focused mentally they might one day become world or Olympic champions. But there are many slips between cups and lips, especially when it comes to those who taste fame and glory at too early an age.

In fact I am inclined to think that Aneisha’s heartbreaking caught on the line loss to a much older and more experienced runner may in the long run prove a blessing in disguise. She was on her way to becoming a national celebrity even before these championships, and two gold medals might have garnered her more media attention than any 16 year old can handle. As it is one only hopes that her manager and coach will help this bright Jamaican jewel keep matters in perspective and make her realize that junior success should only be a stepping stone on the way to her true goal of an Olympic medal. For the ease with which she decimated the opposition on the turn in all her races suggests that she could well become one of the all time great curve runners.

But the challenges those around Aneisha face pale in comparison to what Usain Bolt’s mentors will encounter. By plastering his face over the front pages and doing countless interviews on radio and television the local media have already made him a kind of icon, and he was granted him a returning hero’s welcome by his hometown. All this must be rather heady stuff for a mere 15 year old, no matter how bright and articulate he might be.

The over 3 to 1 UWI female to male ratio shows that even at the best of times it’s difficult to get Jamaican young men to take their mental development seriously. As the youngest male Junior World Athletic champion ever Usain obviously possesses virtually unprecedented raw athletic talent. And we can only hope he does not fall prey to that wanton indiscipline which has ruined so many of our promising male athletes. If physical talent was all it took Rudolf Mighty would have been an Olympian and Walter Boyd would be playing in the English Premier League. But any student of sports or life knows that only determination and character take you to the top.

The disparity in media coverage given to Aneisha and Usain made me marvel at the difference one hundredth of a second can make and smile at the media’s fickleness. For had Aneisha just won instead of just lost, she would have enjoyed – or, depending on one’s point of view, been subjected to – just as much of the media spotlight as Usain. Instead the press almost ignored its former darling in favour of the new golden boy. But as I say, she may well look back one day and say “Thank God I lost that race!”. And let us hope Usain can withstand all the adulation and not become one of the countless boys who ultimately failed to fulfill their potential because they achieved too much too soon.

Sunday night’s scenes of delirious joy demonstrated once more sports’ astonishing ability to bring people together. For while it easy to intellectually dismiss all physical competition as juvenile pastimes that adults who respect the human mind as man’s true glory should disdain, it is emotionally impossible to resist the visceral thrill of seeing your country’s best try to conquer the world. Which is why the Olympics and World Cup are earth’s most watched events and arguably the only true international common points of reference. When I visited East Asia last year the Jamaican name most people recognized was not Bob Marley but Merlene Ottey. Cranky curmudgeons might dismiss sports as ephemeral and meaningless, but can virtually the entire planet be wrong?

I remember on that trip lamenting to some Singaporeans how much more developed their country was than Jamaica. But, they countered, you have so many wonderful athletes and we have none. I silently scoffed at such nonsense. Would the average Jamaican not swap any number of momentary sporting triumphs for a good paying job, affordable quality education, top notch health care, and an almost crime free environment?

Yet watching the stadium erupt in ecstasy when Simone Facey crossed the line first in the girl’s 100 relay, I wondered what price could be put on such an experience of absolute exhilaration. What is the calculus of the joy which money can’t buy and the alleviation of misery which it can? changkob@hotmail.com