Reigning Olympic 110m hurdles champion Hansle Parchment beamed with pride and joy when he was presented with the key to the township of Morant Bay by mayor of St Thomas Hubert Williams on Monday.

Parchment, who is a native of St Thomas and a past student of the Morant Bay High School, was presented with the key during a special ceremony, which was held at Colonel’s Cove in the parish.

The 33-year-old Parchment, who won silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August, says he is grateful for the recognition.

“It is an exciting feeling because it is an overwhelming kind of support that I have been getting from my hometown and I think that anybody would be excited about that,” Parchment said. “To be honest, I am surprised with all the excitement because I didn’t expect it to be this big but everybody came out in their numbers.”

“The Morant Bay High School has been the foundation for everything that I have accomplished so far and I am very grateful for the love and support that they have been showing me.”

Parchment says this award will serve as added motivation for him to work harder to defend his Olympic title next year in Paris.

“I have the Olympics next year and I want to put my best foot forward and of course, make the whole Jamaica proud,” Parchment said.

Williams said that the municipality of Morant Bay was happy to honour Parchment because he has been an inspiration to not only the people of St Thomas but all of Jamaica.

“He has always been a great ambassador for the parish of St Thomas and the Morant Bay High School, which I am also a past student of, so this is personal to me,” he said.

“I have trod the same ground that he has trod and he has come out and made the people of St Thomas proud and that is why we celebrate his legacy today.”

“This will bring inspiration to our young people because they will look at Hansle Parchment and say, ‘We can be like him,’ and that is what we want to give our young, and that is hope. I think that Hansle Parchment has given our young people hope.”