Bolt Statue On Track To Mark Parish History
Usain Bolt, the legendary sprinter, is to have a statue erected in his honour in his Jamaican Parish of Trelawny.
A statue of the iconic retired track star, nicknamed ‘Lightning Bolt’, will appear in Falmouth’s Water Square to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Parish’s capital.
It will be a replica of the monument in Statue Park at Kingston’s National Stadium that was designed and created by sculptor Basil Watson. The 11-time sprinting World Champion was born in the small town of Sherwood Content, which comprises adjoining villages of Content and Sherwood.
But it has emerged that the iconic star has returned a positive test for the coronavirus (Covid-19) following his 34th birthday party at the Football Factory, St. Andrew, with videos emerging of Covid-19 breaches.
Bolt’s birthday party was attended by a numerous celebrities from the world of entertainment and sport. Kingston-born footballers Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen) and Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) were among the party guests, but as overseas visitors there are investigations as to whether the pair completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement. Failure to do so would result in a breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act.
So the announcement from Jamaica’s Sport Minister Olivia Grange has at least delivered some joy for the Bolt, the four-time winner of the pretigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.
Minster Grange revealed: “Falmouth’s Mayor, Colin Gager and the Trelawny Municipality along with the people and the Parish are looking forward with great anticipation to the erection in the town square of a statue of the Parish’s own Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time.
“Myself and a team met with Mayor Gager and the Council late last year to finalise plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of Falmouth.
“I made a commitment then that a statue of Usain would be erected in Water Square as a lasting legacy and tribute to the people of the parish of Trelawny and its achievements.”
Bolt has been has been extremely busy since hanging up his spikes. He tried to kick off a career as a professional football player, having trials in Australia and then turning down a two-year deal with a top flight Maltese team that would have meant playing in the coveted Champions League.
And he might be considering a return to the track as the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, have been rescheduled for next year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Eight-time Olympic champion Bolt could be back on track competitively for the first time in years, having only occasionally put on his spikes since retiring. His last international competition was the 2017 World Championships in London when he surprisingly whimpered out, following immense hype, with just a bronze medal in the 100m.
Various business ventures have taken up most of his time, although his infamous party nights seemed to be behind him after becoming a father in May until last week’s birthday party that have controversially landed him in hot water.
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