Usain St Leo Bolt had the pleasure of witnessing a bronze statue that was made in his image and likeness unveiled at Statue Park at Jamaica’s Independence Park, in Kingston, on Sunday.

The event was witnessed by hundreds of Jamaicans, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet Holness, the leader of the Opposition Peter Phillips, and former prime ministers PJ Patterson and Edward Seaga.

The statue, which is eight feet tall, was sculpted by Basil Watson in the now famous ‘To The World’ pose which Bolt first did at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in 2008. Since then he has made the signature pose after all his gold medal performances at major championships, as well as on the Diamond League circuit.

Among the many speakers at the ceremony was Holness who said he had never witnessed anything like the love shown for Bolt at the Olympic Games in Brazil where the entire stadium chanted, “Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt”. The humility that the sprinter has shown throughout his career, despite his great successes, has also not been lost on Holness.

The president of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), Lord Sebastian Coe was unable to attend the ceremony, but addressed the gathering via video.

“Usain has changed the face of our sport. He has had an extraordinary career which has exemplified competitive excellence, extraordinary character, good sportsmanship, and professionalism,” said Coe.

The IAAF chief also acknowledged the role played by Bolt’s coach Glen Mills.

“Behind every great athlete is a great coach, and we are particularly proud that Glen Mills, who guided Usain’s career, has been a part of the IAAF family since 2006, helping us understand and promote the status of coaching.”

President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association Dr Warren Blake highlighted the effects of the Jamaican legend’s attitude on all of track and field, noting that his antics before races had led to other athletes showing a more relaxed demeanour during competition, replacing the grim faces of the past.

Bolt, who was the last to speak at the ceremony, was amazed at his own achievements during his storied career.

“For me, there are no words to describe how I am feeling right now. Me and my best friend NJ always talk about it. Just imagine that, how is this possible? A bare foot youth that run up an’ down, drop, buck toe — all dem something yah. I’ve never, ever at no point thought I would be where I am now, have my own statue at the National Stadium where it all began. There are no words and that’s why I always use my motto ‘Anything is possible’. No limits!!! At no point did I imagine I would achieve this much,” said the overwhelmed athlete.

Bolt, who retired from track and field after the World Championships in London earlier this year, is regarded by many as the greatest sprinter to have ever lived and currently holds the world record for both the 100m and 200m. His statue has been placed in the same area that holds statues of other Jamaican legends such as Merlene Ottey, Herb McKenley and Donald Quarrie.

— Dwayne Richards