Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness has hailed the achievements of the country’s athletes at the Rio Olympics in Brazil last week.
Holness praised Usain’s Bolt historic hat-trick of Olympic 100 meters titles saying that Jamaica is fortunate to have a son who inspires so many and ensures that Jamaica continues to be the sprint capital of the world.
Bolt also captured his third consecutive Olympic 200 title.
“Bolt has etched his name as the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen,” Holness said in a statement.
Rio Olympics 2016 in Brazil was Jamaica’s sprint machine, superstar Usain Bolt last Olympics as he has admitted that age has caught up with him and he will stop running the 200m.
He will not run in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Bolt revealed that he will only run the l00m in next year’s World Championships in London. Bolt, who holds the world records in both events has won the past four 200m races in the worlds, said doing the double gets “rougher” as he gets older.
The Jamaican sprinter won three gold medals at the Rio Olympics and has not lost a major 200m final since he won in Beijing in 2008.
At the Rio Olympics he won gold in the Men’s 100m, Men’s 200m and Men’s 4×100 relay.
Elaine Thompson, who claimed two Olympic titles (Gold) in the 100 and 200 meters and two-time defending champion, Shelly Ann-Fraser, who missed out on becoming the first women to clinch a hat-trick of titles in the 100-meter when she finished with bronze, deserved special praise, the prime minister said.
The Jamaica government is expected to once again honor Bolt, Thompson and the national team following the games.
And Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has described the achievements of Kirani James and Bralon Taplin as “a defining moment” in the country’s history.
James, 23, failed in his bid to repeat as 400 meters champion but clinched silver in the final, which was won by South African Wayde van Niekerk in a new world record of 43.03.
Taplin finished seventh in the final in 44.5 and his outing marked the first time two Grenadians appeared in a final of an Olympic track event at a global championship.
Mitchell said in a statement: “Today is a defining moment in the history of Grenada. The world is once again taking notice of this little gem of an island in the Caribbean Sea.”
“An entire nation is jumping for joy as Kirani and Barlon have raised Grenada’s profile in an unprecedented way,” the statement noted.
James had secured the tiny island’s first ever Olympic gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
