This week, two of this island's top international athletes performed amazing feats that were not executed in their respective fields of endeavour.

West Indies captain Christopher Gayle did something far more important than hitting fours and sixes and taking blinding catches, and Usain Bolt accomplished more yesterday than he ever could blazing to three world records in Beijing last summer.

Gayle, who had just returned from the Twenty20 World Cup in England, paid a surprise visit to his alma mater, Excelsior High, Wednesday and handed over several bats, balls and stumps to the school's cricket team. He also presented a full-sized autographed bat, signed by the entire West Indies cricket team, to the principal of the school.

They are very valuable gifts, but there was a lot more value in what he told the surprised students. "Keep your focus, whatever you want to achieve, you have to know it is possible, never let anyone bring you down and, most important, listen to your parents and be obedient to them," he told them.

Bolt, who this weekend will attempt to make the Jamaican team to the 12th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Berlin, teamed up with United Way to donate more than J$100,000 and Puma gear (tops and shoes) to children at the Dare to Care hospice, part of the Mustard Seed Communityies.

The 48 children who were relocated following the fire at Martha's House in Kingston got a chance to get up close and personal with the Olympic champion as they played dominoes with him and enjoyed being in his company.

Increasingly, our people are becoming selfish. These days we are more inclined to look out for our own interests, giving scant regard to the interests of others. This is especially true of some of our athletes. Usually, it's all about them, what they want, how much money they want to earn and so on and so forth.

role model

What we saw from Gayle and Bolt is more of what we need to see. It represents the way we ought to live. These athletes earn so much more than the average Jamaican would ever earn in their lifetimes and it's why it makes us sick sometimes when we hear of athletes complaining about money, looking out only for themselves.

These two, especially Bolt, who has become a virtual one-man charity, are setting examples for other athletes and, more, important, Jamaicans, in general, to follow.

I was particularly impressed with Gayle's message to the kids of Excelsior. Just this week a student is alleged to have stabbed a teacher and, at the auto school on Maxfield Avenue, one student stabbed another to death. In light of this, Gayle's message is timely and necessary.

Bolt, by his actions, has shown us all that no matter how high we climb it takes very little to give back, to share a little of your success with those less fortunate.

I wish one day Bolt and Gayle will be as successful off the field of play as they are on it and that others will take heed and follow suit.