Recently, it was announced that Usain Bolt will be accorded the Order of Jamaica. With this distinction he will be officially referred to as the Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt. The court of public opinion seems to be divided on the issue. There are some of the opinion that he is way too young to recognized with this title. Especially, given the fact that he recently celebrated his 23rd birthday. Others believe that he is well deserving of all the praises lauded unto him. Should age be a hindrance to titles and responsibilities bestowed?
It is no secret that Usain Bolt is special. We have seen him grow and develop over the years. I remember him at the Athens Olympics in 2004 competing in the men' s 200m with his necklace in his mouth and doing the ‘willy bounce’ before the start of the race. His entire island nation wanted him to do well but the truth is that he was not ready for this level of competition. Four years later he returned to totally dwarf the competition in both the 100m and 200m, smashing the world records in both events. He later returned to help the Jamaican 4x100m relay team secure victory and set a new world record in the process.
We have also seen the other side of Usain of him being an avid party-goer. By his own admission he loves to go to Quad (one of Jamaica's most popular night clubs). He recently had a near death experience when he overturned his BMW motor vehicle while driving on Highway 2000 - soon to be renamed ironically - Usain Bolt Highway. His displays on the track is always punctuated with playful gestures before and after competing, where he does funny faces and some of latest Jamaican dance moves.
Based on Usain’s unique position in history, giving him a national honor will potentially do more good than harm. When responsibility is thrust upon us we tend to mature to deal with the new challenges set before us. This situation is no different and Usain should be given the opportunity to be mature and represent Jamaica with class, dignity and style. Age is just a number and it shouldn’t stop him or anybody from being an example and being recognized for it.
It is no secret that Usain Bolt is special. We have seen him grow and develop over the years. I remember him at the Athens Olympics in 2004 competing in the men' s 200m with his necklace in his mouth and doing the ‘willy bounce’ before the start of the race. His entire island nation wanted him to do well but the truth is that he was not ready for this level of competition. Four years later he returned to totally dwarf the competition in both the 100m and 200m, smashing the world records in both events. He later returned to help the Jamaican 4x100m relay team secure victory and set a new world record in the process.
We have also seen the other side of Usain of him being an avid party-goer. By his own admission he loves to go to Quad (one of Jamaica's most popular night clubs). He recently had a near death experience when he overturned his BMW motor vehicle while driving on Highway 2000 - soon to be renamed ironically - Usain Bolt Highway. His displays on the track is always punctuated with playful gestures before and after competing, where he does funny faces and some of latest Jamaican dance moves.
Based on Usain’s unique position in history, giving him a national honor will potentially do more good than harm. When responsibility is thrust upon us we tend to mature to deal with the new challenges set before us. This situation is no different and Usain should be given the opportunity to be mature and represent Jamaica with class, dignity and style. Age is just a number and it shouldn’t stop him or anybody from being an example and being recognized for it.
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4 comments:
Great Post
Yeah wi fulldorse di ting fi real. Suppose di man did dead when im crash? I am quite sure that everybody would agree to give him the honour then. So why not when he is a young and most importantly live and energetic person? Yeah man, Bolt honourable fi real.
Well said!
As a Trelawny man and Asafa fan, I agree with you totally, Bolt has done what no other athlete has ever done. Therefore, he deserves whatever accolades is bestowed on him.
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