Prince ‘races’ Bolt On Home Turf

On a royal visit to Jamaica, Prince Harry took part in a race with Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt – sprinting down the track to win after a false start at the University of the West Indies stadium in Kingston. Bolt followed shortly after in fits of laughter.

Prince Harry is in Jamaica after visits to Belize and the Bahamas to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

After racing the-third-in-line to the throne, Bolt, 25, immediately called for a rematch.

The Olympic champion joked: ‘He cheated, I said we would have a rematch in London 2012 and Harry said ‘I’m busy.’

‘He’s cool, very down to earth. When you meet dignitaries you think it will be difficult but he just wanted to laugh – it was an honour and a pleasure to meet him.’

Later, the two exchanged pleasantries and talked about running for an audience, predominantly of university students, including many athletes. 

The prince noted Jamaica’s international reputation as a track and field powerhouse and said it was impressive for a small nation of nearly 3 million.

‘Don’t go running off to America, because you’ve got talent your country needs.’ he told the crowd.

Prince Harry’s arrival in the capital, Kingston, on Monday was greeted with a 21-gun salute by the Jamaican Defence Force.