FORMER Reggae Boy Ricardo Gardner, World Championship and Olympic medallist Yohan Blake, and cricketer Rovman Powell are among five Jamaican sportsmen set to receive national honours later this year.
The trio, along with veteran racehorse jockey Shane Ellis and Special Olympian Jefferson Watson Davis, are included in a list of just over 140 Jamaicans to be awarded Orders of the Societies of Honour or Badges of Honour, effective August 6, 2025. The honours will be formally conferred on National Heroes’ Day, October 20.
Blake, who stunned the world when he became the youngest man to win the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011 at age 21, is being recognised for his contribution to athletics and philanthropy. The sprinter is the second-fastest man in history behind Usain Bolt, with personal bests of 9.69 seconds in the 100m and 19.26 seconds in the 200m.
Gardner, a member of Jamaica’s historic France 1998 FIFA World Cup team and a former national Under-20 head coach, will receive the Order of Distinction (Officer Class), as will Powell, who previously captained the West Indies cricket team.
Davis, who represented Jamaica at the Special Olympics for two decades, will also be conferred with the Order of Distinction (Officer Class), while Ellis will receive the Badge of Honour for his long-standing contribution to horse racing. (Sportsmax)