KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

Glen Mills is comfortable in Jamaica and plans to remain here, where he hopes to continue churning out world-class athletes.

Mills, the coach of the Jamaican sprint phenomenon Usain Bolt, disclosed that he continues to receive lucrative offers to coach track & field in other parts of the world, but he is quite content to help Kingston remain the sprint capital of the globe.

"I was always happy with the achievement of my athletes and the country," said Mills in a recent interview.

He added: "That was my major goal and objective. I could have left this country long ago because I have been getting offers to work in colleges in the United States from as early as the 1980s when people saw Camperdown's (the high school he coached at the time) sprinting and the baton changes."

Camperdown, Mills' alma mater, dominated the annual Penn Relays in the American city of Philadelphia during his tenure, winning nine Championships of Americas titles in a spell of 15 years.

"People could not believe that these were high-schoolers," he said.

"When we became the first high school to run sub-41 seconds, we were accused of bringing national teams to the Penn Relays.

He noted: "They even threatened to suspend Jamaica teams because they felt we were bringing national teams."

Fortunately, the organisers of the Penn Relays never carried out their threat, and Jamaican high school teams have continued to make their mark on the event.

Committed to work here

Mills recently announced that he was unavailable to travel as head coach with Jamaica teams in the future, but he eased concerns that his expertise may be exploited elsewhere.

"I have gotten several offers, but I was always committed to work here," he said.

He noted: "And since I started at the senior level, I have gotten offers from as far as the Far East and lucrative offers, but I am not going to leave here.

"I am not doing this for any reward ... I enjoy doing it and I enjoy seeing the athletes do well and succeed."