Jamaican Olympians Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson were conferred on Monday, National Heroes Day in Jamaica, with national honors at Jamaica’s annual National Honors and Awards held on the lawns of Kings House in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.
According to Sportmaxtv, Fraser-Pryce, 35, was conferred with the Order of Jamaica, Commander Class for Outstanding Performance in the field of athletics at the international level.
“The woman known internationally as the Pocket Rocket for her incredible speed that has been on display for more than a decade, won her fifth World 100m title in Eugene, Oregon in July becoming the first running athlete to accomplish the feat,” Sportsmaxtv said.
“It was also her second world 100m title since she gave birth to her son Zyon in 2017,” it added.
Sportmaxtv said that, during the just-concluded season, Fraser-Pryce attained another global benchmark when she became the first woman in the history of the sport to run faster than 10.7 seconds – seven times during the any one season.
“She has now run under 10.7s nine times, which is more than any other woman has ever run,” it added about Fraser-Pryce, who is also the holder of three Olympic gold medals and 10 World Championship gold medals in her illustrious career.
Sportsmaxtv said Jackson, 28, was conferred with the Order of Distinction, Commander Class for exceptional achievements in the sport of Track and Field Athletics at the national, World Championships and Olympic levels.
“The former Vere Technical star won her first global title in Eugene, Oregon in July when she ran 21.45 to claim the 200m gold medal,” Sportsmaxtv said. “The time makes her the second fastest woman in history and is a national record breaking the previous mark of 21.53 set by Elaine Thompson-Herah at the Tokyo Olympics.”
Jackson has also won bronze medals in the 400m at the World Championships and Olympics, and is the highest-ranked active combination sprinter in history, with personal bests of 10.71 in the 100m, 21.45 in the 400m and 49.49 in the 400m, said Sportsmaxtv, adding that only two women in history have been better.
Sportsmaxtv said Dr. Warren Blake, former president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), also received national honors. He was conferred with the Order of Distinction (CD) for contribution to medicine and as a team doctor in national sports.
Other honors were bestowed on Claude Bryan, a sports agent, with the Order of Distinction for contribution to the sport of Track and Field; and Michael Clarke, a veteran coach, who was conferred with the Order of Distinction for contribution to sports in the area of Track and Field, Sportsmaxtv said.
