The
53-year-old Swiss hero is the son of Jamaican Conrad Halsall and the
cousin of successful businessman Doug Halsall, the CEO of IT services company, Advanced Integrated Systems Limited.
Halsall
would like to meet swimming sensation Alia Atkinson, athletics great
Usain Bolt, and visit the Bob Marley Museum — the late reggae icon being
his hero. “The purpose of my visit is to meet my family, my roots
actually, because I have never been to Jamaica before. This is the first
time,” said Halsall, who broke the 50m freestyle world record on July
21, 1985 as a 22-year-old.
“I
am going to turn 54 in a few weeks, and three months ago I didn’t even
know I have a big family here. And thanks to Facebook someone contacted
me and I discovered that I have a big family. So it is very emotional
for me,” he told the Jamaica Observer from the posh Norbrook home of his cousin Doug.
“My
father was born in Brown’s Town and lived in Montego Bay. He gave me
the love of sports. When I was young we watched Muhammad Ali fight and
watched the Olympics. I started swimming when I was eight and he was
always behind me encouraging me, and he always said I was special. I was
Jamaican, so I was special,” Halsall revealed.
Halsall,
who has a Swiss mother, is an 86-time Swiss champion, 92-time Swiss
national record holder, with 58 wins in FINA competition. [. . .]
For full article, see http://www.jamaicaobserver. com/sport/I-am-Jamaican-_84231
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