KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Jamaica has paid tribute to Olympic legend, Herb McKenley, as part of Heroes Day celebrations across the country.

A monument summarising the accomplishments of McKenley has been unveiled, in the presence of his wife Mrs Beverly McKenley, at his burial site at National Heroes Park.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, and back-to-back double Olympic sprint champion, Usain Bolt participated in the ceremony unveiling a marble headstone.
“If there is anyone who qualifies for inclusion …it is Herb McKenley,” said Patterson, who delivered remarks on the life of McKenley prior to the unveiling, and the laying of a wreath on his grave.
“He laid the foundation so that Jamaica could prove to the world there are areas in which we can excel, and where we are prepared to be nothing but the best.”
McKenley was one of Jamaica’s first international athletic stars, having competed in the country’s first Olympic Games in 1948.
Though he never won an individual Olympic gold medal, he was a member of the victorious 4x400m Jamaican quartet at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland.
“I am very pleased that someone like Herb is being recognised in a solemn ceremony when we are recognising national heroes of our country,” said Mike Fennel, Jamaica Olympic Association president.
The marble headstone was a replacement for one laid following McKenley’s death in 2007.
McKenley was also instrumental in introducing local high schools to the Penn Relays in the United States where Jamaicans are now among the main attractions.