Usain Bolt - the world's fastest man - getting a triple honour from the Jamaican government. The government is awarding him one of the country's top national honours, the Order of Jamaica (OJ), naming the country's high-speed expressway, Highway 2000, after him and appontining him ambassador-at-large, with full diplomatic status. "His endearing personality, charisma and passion for his country make him a superb ambassador of Jamaica," Prime Minister Bruce Golding told Parliament in making the announcement.
Opposition Leader Portia Simpson-Miller congratulated the government for the move, saying Bolt is an inspiration to many young people.
He becomes the youngest person ever to receive his country's fourth highest honour and will carry the title "Honourable" Usain Bolt.
Bolt, 23, was the track and field star at the Beijing Olympics and the the recent World Championships in Berlin where he broke his own records, clocking 100 metres in 9.58 seconds.
The 22-year-old sprinter won the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics and was part of the Jamaica team which won the 4x100 relay. All three gold medals were earned in world record times.
Bolt broke the world record in 9.69 seconds to earn gold in the 100 metres sprint, even though he let up in the last several metres to celebrate. He followed it in the 200 metres in 19.30 seconds, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics.
Bolt became the first man to break the world records in both sprints at an Olympics. Not even Lewis or Jesse Owens managed that.
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