Merlene Ottey is set to receive Jamaica’s fourth highest honour on Heroes’ Day in October.

Ottey, who represented Jamaica from 1978 to 2000 before switching to Slovenia, is described as the “Bronze Queen.”

The winner of nine Olympic medals for Jamaica, among them six bronze, will get the Order of Jamaica (OJ).
She also won 14 World Championships medals, among them back-to-back 200m titles in Stuttgart 1993 and Gothenburg 1995.

Ottey is the 7th ranked 100m sprinter with 10.74, and 4th ranked for 200m with 21.64.
The 60-year-old is the current world indoor record holder for 200m at 21.87 seconds, set in 1993. She is fourth-ranked on the all-time 60m list.

Ottey was named Ambassador of Jamaica after her gold medal win in the 1993 world championships.

She has also been named Jamaican Sportswoman of the year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

Ottey will join track and field legend Usain Bolt as track and field athletes with Order of Jamaica honour.

Deon Hemmings to get CD

Meanwhile, Deon Hemmings, the Jamaican woman to win the Olympic Games title, is also down to be honoured on the day.

Hemmings, who won the 400m hurdles at the Atlanta 1996 Games, will receive the Order of Distinction (Commander Class).

She also won two silver medals at the Olympic Games, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay in Sydney 2000.

Hemmings won two bronze and a silver at the World Championships level.


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92 COMMENTS

  1. No matter what
    You always have people speaking negatively
    Let sleeping dogs lied congratulations to you miss Ottey thank you for your contribution to Jamaica 🇯🇲 be bless for a job well done

  2. Congratulations Dr Ottey Had there been a Jamaica Independence Gala this year, you would probably be honored. I was honored to be a guest at your Honorary Dictortorate conferring by my Alma Mater UTech on the tracks at Vere Technical

  3. That is the highest order she can receive as the others are for PM, Governor Generals and foreign dignitaries usually. Congrats to her! Well deserved!

  4. we wait till she change citizenship…. smh…. younger people nuh understand seh every olympic a just she we look forward to inna di sprints… She should be OM and not OJ….

  5. Dem never do nutten to her in Sydney they wanted to removed petagaye dowdy so that melee could have competed dowdy did make the team at trials so y u saying this sounds like an hater.

  6. A true queen of Jamaica’s Track and Field history…was beaten by these doped up American athletes…eg.. Flo Jo etc.. say no more..🙏🏿

  7. Congratulations to both ladies! I am happy for them, especially for Merlene Ottey. I hope the Minister of Sport will also apologize to her on behalf of the country for what the athletes did to her in Sydney. That is well overdue and will go a long way in healing the wounds that still remain from those unwarranted actions.

    • Dem never do nutten to her in Sydney they wanted to removed petagaye dowdy so that melee could have competed dowdy did make the team at trials so y u saying this sounds like an hater.

  8. Firstly, I must say fulgratulations to both of these truly esteemed ladies. They are two of our Olympians whose statues should have been erected long before Bolt, Asfa, and Shelly-Ann with no disrespect.
    At the end of the day, they say it’s better to be late than never. It’s a well-deserved acknowledgment and one that will inspire many aspiring and upcoming athletes. #Jamaica #JahMeckYa

  9. She should have gotten her OJ years ago, if anyone here understands track and field when Merlene Ottey was representing Jamaica she was up against athletes that was using performance enhancing drugs from USA and Russia and other first world country but still was doing dam go. For that she will forever be the greatest athlete that would represent 🇯🇲. Respect Ms.Ottey long overdue

  10. It is about time! This is so long overdue for one of Jamaica’s finest sprint Quees, Merlene! Dion also deserves the recognition,too!

  11. She is to get one of the highest honors. She fought valiantly against the dopers of The USA and still performs at her best and make little Jamaica a force to reckon with.

  12. Well deserved! At long last. I was disappointed that the London Olympics 2012 did not give her special recognition. The Jamaican Gov’t should also have made much of her stellar achievements also at the London Olympics!

  13. Thx for your contribution to jamaica 🇯🇲 . She was always appreciated but not in this way . Thx Merlene 👍🏼

  14. Shes the # 1 queen ,i dont know y it took them so damn long to give it to her,she paved the way for others so she will always ve the #1,congrats Merlene u well deserved it

  15. About 20 years late IMHO. For many years she was the main ambassador for JAM and carried the island on her back. Her patriotism is without question, she was married to an American and like many of her peers could have chosen to represent that country.

      • Whendi Bromley during her prime years when she kept JAM on the map she was married to Nat Page the US HJer/intermediate hurdler.

          • Whendi Bromley she was never married to a Slovenian. Ottey was once married to an American in her prime years and never switched allegiance. She started running for Slovenia when she could no longer make Jamaica’s team.

  16. She should have gotten this long time ago but that’s us on a hole always waiting on others to acknowledge our great first

  17. Listen she is respected the Caribbean over and no matter where a Jamaican goes they are still a Jamaican she represented well while she was there so let her enjoy the 4th highest award..congrats to merl the otti

  18. Without reservations, I say “Well deserved!” She has truly earned such a prestigious honor. I do remember when she was the only athlete Jamaica could count on to win a medal at a major championship.

  19. No matter what
    You always have people speaking negatively
    Let sleeping dogs lied congratulations to you miss Ottey thank you for your contribution to Jamaica 🇯🇲 be bless for a job well done

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