Jamaican sprinters have always been among the best although many have come and gone without an all-important Olympic gold medal to crown their achievements.

So far, eight Jamaican athletes have won a total of 10 individual Olympic gold medals.

Arthur Wint made history in 1948 as the nation’s first Olympic gold medalist, 14 years before Jamaica gained independence.

Wint won the 400m finals in London, beating his more favoured teammate, Herb McKenley in the country’s first appearance at the Games.

Four years later, Jamaica again won the 400m, this time with then world record-holder, George Rhoden. McKenley finished second yet again.

Don Quarrie became the third Jamaican to win Olympic gold, this time in the 200m at the 1976 Montreal Games.

After years of near misses and close calls, in 1996 a Jamaican woman finally won an individual gold medal at the Olympics. Deon Hemmings won the 400m hurdles at the Atlanta Games, beating then world-record holder, Kim Batten, into second.

Melanie Walker continued the fine hurdling tradition started by Hemmings when she won the 400m hurdles in a new Olympic record at the 2008 Beijing Games

Veronica Campbell-Brown won the 200m at the Athens Games in 2004. She repeated the feat in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, avenging the efforts of countrywomen Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson and Juliet Cuthbert who all got silver.

A relatively unknown Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce charged onto the scene in 2008 to win the 100m in Beijing, leading a historic 1-2-2 in the event.

Usain Bolt followed up on a phenomenal junior career by winning both the 100m and 200m events in world record time in Beijing. While broke the 100m record some months before, it was his demolition of Michael Johnson’s 200m record that dropped jaws, as many thought it would remain unbeaten for years to come.