Along with the rest of the world, I couldn’t help but marvel at Usain Bolt’s superlative performance in Beijing. Three gold medals, and an unprecedented three world records in the blue ribbon track events will not be forgotten for a very long time – if ever.It was touching to see that following his triumphs, Bolt found time to visit earthquake victims in Sichuan and donated $US50,000 of his own money to the rebuilding effort following the tragedy that killed an estimated 70,000 people.
Apart from generating infinite goodwill, the sprinter’s move was a shrewd tactic in brand management. Right now, Usain Bolt could very well be the biggest non-Chinese star in the biggest country on the planet. And with 1.3 billion Chinese looking on, his decision to contribute to the reparation effort can only have done wonders for the Bolt brand.
