Usain Bolt is one of the world’s most celebrated sportsmen. His brilliance on the track transcends sport and has made him a household name with millions in the bank to prove it.
The 26-year-old Jamaican will be racing at the second annual Cayman Invitational at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex on 8 May, which virtually guarantees the stadium will be sold out.
Bolt is not the only world class athlete lining up though, as there are plenty of Olympic and world championship medallists scheduled to participate. Some of Cayman’s top athletes will also be showcasing their talents. As was the case a year ago, more than 80 professional track and field stars are slated to compete.
Usain Bolt
Bolt burst onto the world scene with three gold medals and broke three world records at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
He became the first man in Olympic history to win both the 100 metres and 200m races in world record times and then again as part of the 4x100m team.
In 2012, Bolt defended all three Olympic titles in London. He has been named IAAF Male Athlete of the Year four times – in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 – and created the Usain Bolt Foundation, while also endorsing some of the world’s top commercial brands.
Kerron Stewart
Kerron Stewart is a Jamaican sprinter, specialising in 100m and 200m races. In 2008, Stewart was ranked No. 2 in the world for the 100m and No. 3 in the 200m, following her success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In Beijing, she earned silver in the 100m and bronze in 200m.
In 2012, Stewart was part of the team that won silver at the London Olympic Games in the 4x100m relay.
Hansle Parchment
From Kingston, Jamaica, Parchment won his first Olympic medal in 2012, earning bronze in the 110m hurdles, Jamaica’s first in that event. Parchment is a psychology student at the University of the West Indies in Kingston and won a gold medal at the 2011 World University Games, running a personal best 13.24 seconds to win the title for Jamaica. He also won the 110m race at the inaugural Cayman Invitational last year.
Chris Brown
Chris “Fireman” Brown hails from the Bahamas. He competed in his first Olympics at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, finishing fourth on the men’s 4x400m relay team. Brown anchored the Bahamas 4x400m relay to earn a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Brown and his team won gold at last year’s London Olympics in the 4x400m relay, marking the first Olympic men’s gold medal in any sport for the Bahamas. Brown won the 400m at the Cayman Invitational last year.
Melanie Walker
Melanie Walker is a Jamaican 400m hurdler who took Olympic gold at the Beijing Olympics and set an Olympic record of 52.64 seconds. In 2009, Walker set the second fastest time in history of 52.42 seconds to win the women’s 400m hurdles final at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Kemar Hyman
Kemar Hyman is a Caymanian sprinter, currently holding the national records for both the 100m and 200m. He has a personal best of 9.95 seconds in the 100m and competed in his first Olympics in London 2012.
Ronald Forbes
Forbes is a Caymanian sprint hurdler. During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Forbes was a quarterfinalist in the 110m hurdles. He also competed at the London Olympics.
Jon Rankin
Jon Rankin is Cayman’s multiple middle distance national record holder and runs various distances including 800m, 1,500m and one mile. Rankin finished in the top 100 at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2011.
Carl and Carlos Morgan
Participating for the second year, Caymanian twins Carl and Carlos Morgan will be participating in the long jump again at the Cayman Invitational.
Tyrell Cuffy
Tyrell Cuffy has participated in the IAAF World Junior Championships twice, for both the 100m and 200m distances and is one of Cayman’s most promising young sprint talents.
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