DOUBLE Olympic Games 100m champions Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were among seven Jamaicans who yesterday accepted recognition for their contribution to sports at the annual National Honours and Awards ceremony.

Thompson-Herah, who has won five gold medals at the last two Games, was conferred with the national honour of Order of Distinction (Commander Class), while Fraser-Pryce was upgraded from Officer Class to Commander Class with the same award.

A third female sprinter, Olympian Jacqueline Pusey, was also recognised as well as Dr Praimanand Singh for his work in sports medicine, former Jamaican and West Indies cricketer Jimmy Adams, the late former Reggae Boy Luton Shelton and motor sports legend Peter “Zoom-Zoom” Rae who was involved in the event for about 50 years.

They were among 144 Jamaicans who were bestowed national honours in the 2021 edition of the National Honours and Awards ceremony.

For the second-straight year the event was held virtually due to the restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Thompson-Herah, who set national records in the 100m (10.54 seconds) and 200m (21.53 seconds at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this year), both second best for all times, said she felt “overjoyed” after getting the award, in a post on her official Instagram page yesterday morning.

She said her accomplishments were inspired by powerful women from Jamaica and around the world, adding that she hopes that her honour will inspire a new generation.

“I have been inspired and motivated by powerful women around the world, powerful women from my island home Jamaica. I feel so honoured and overjoyed to be given this Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by my nation. I now use this classification to help motivate and uplift women and young girls to strive without limits. To God be the glory,” her post read.

Pusey, who represented Jamaica at two Olympic Games – 1976 in Montreal when she was only 16 years old and again in 1980 in Moscow – was Sportswoman of the Year in 1981 when she won two bronze medals at the then IAAF World Cup in Rome, in the 400m and as part of the 4x100m relay team.

She also won a bronze in the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Shelton, who died earlier this year, is still Jamaica’s top goalscorer with 35 goals in 75 appearances between 2004 and 2013, and scored four goals on his debut, the only man to do that at the senior level.

Adams, who is now Cricket West Indies’ director of cricket, played 54 Tests for the Caribbean team and was a member of the West Indies squad to two ICC World Cups in 1996 and 1999.