Usain Bolt's dad Wellesley had one 'unbreakable' rule that the sprinter had to stick to at all times

Usain Bolt’s father had an ‘unbreakable’ rule which could’ve shaped the former sprinter’s future success.

Usain, 38, is an eight-time Olympic gold medallist and still holds the 100 and 200m world records, which he set at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.

He is one of most decorated Olympians of all time and crossed over into the mainstream like no sprinter had before essentially putting Jamaican sport on the map.

But apart from his genetics, what made the athlete so much better than his competitors?

Well, part of the reason could’ve been some of the good habits he picked up from his father Wellesley, who passed away on Monday, according to reports from local media in Jamaica.

The sprinter credited his late father for his good timekeeping.

“My impatience doesn’t come from anxiety,” Usain said previously [via Mirror].

“It’s from my upbringing.

“My dad Willis is a stickler for timekeeping. He’d rather be five hours early than a minute late and it’s habitual for me to be the same.

“If I was late my dad would be upset with me because late is not an option. It’s about good manners and respect. Now I don’t like people being late.”

Usain Bolt's late father Wellesley (Credit:Getty)

So, what was the ‘unbreakable’ rule Usain’s father set?

Speaking on the ‘Meet The Mitchells’ podcast earlier this year, the multiple world record holder revealed all and it does not relate to sprinting.

“Mi pay school fee one time!” Usain said when explaining what his father used to say to him when he was a child.

“If yuh pass, yuh good. If yuh fail, yuh haffi find di money yuhself!”

Although some people may consider this harsh, the rule will have, no doubt, motivated a young Usain to work hard in order to progress, both in school and in his other endeavours – namely sprinting.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian back in 2009, Wellesley explained how "proud" he was of his son.

"After the world junior championships [held in Kingston in 2002, at which Bolt won the 200m] I realised that he would go far, but I did not realise that he would actually win the 100m, much more to be the world record holder," said Wellesley.

"I did think that he could win the 200m because that was his main event, but 100m was a bonus for me. I'm very proud. Being the father of the world's fastest man – that's a dream I didn't realise would happen."