Jamaicans broke into wild celebrations in the streets of the capital as they watched the island's sprinters pull off a historic clean sweep of the 200-meters at the London Olympic Games.
Usain 'Lightning' Bolt, 25, and Yohan 'The Beast' Blake, 22,or the 'Double B' duo as they have been dubbed in Jamaica, left the rest of the field in their wake yesterday to take gold and silver, only days after they did the same in the 100-meters.
Adding to the feat, a third Jamaican, debutant Olympian Warren Weir, won bronze in the 200-meters, underlining Jamaica's dominance in the sprint events. Hundreds of Jamaicans danced in the streets, honked horns, waved flags, hugged each other and screamed with delight, after the black, green and gold Jamaican colors left the world behind. Bolt became the first man to complete the sprint double at back-to-back Olympics. Now, expectations are rising Jamaica will take gold again in Sunday's 4 x 100-meter relay final to round off what is shaping up to be the most successful Olympics in Jamaican history.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who television cameras showed sharing in the joy as the three Jamaicans passed the finish line first, praised the athletes. She said once again Jamaican athletes have done them proud. The Prime Minister said it is a wonderful day for Jamaica's athletics.
Bolt, who turns 26 later this month, was already a legend in his home country before his latest golds, and is the island's top celebrity after reggae's Bob Marley. Bolt's signature archer-like victory pose has become a symbol of Jamaican pride.
In the last week the number of followers on Bolt's Twitter page shot up from 700,000 to more than 1 million. The Olympic triumph added a special luster to Jamaica's celebrations this week of its 50th anniversary of independence from Britain, including gold in both the men's and women's 100-meter finals.
Athletes are held in special regard in Jamaica, which has a long record of Olympic success since its first participation in the 1948 London Games. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, Jamaica had its biggest medal haul, taking home six golds, three silvers and two bronzes, ahead of Canada (population 34 million) and Brazil (population 196 million).
Bolt won three golds - in the 100- and 200-meter competitions, as well as the four-man 100-meter relay - all in world record times.
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