I'm not getting a national hero alive - Usain Bolt response on ever receiving Jamaica's highest honour

Track's greatest sprinter in history Usain Bolt isn't expecting so much on receiving Jamaica's highest honour despite seeing himself as a national hero.

In an appearance on The Fix podcast, the sprint legend said he's doubtful he'll receive the honour when alive, perhaps after his death.

"We know we nah get national hero until we dead. Dat nah happen fi now so we just a put that out deh. Me nah siddung and stress bout dat,” he said.

However, Bolt remains happy with public opinion that he deserves the country’s highest national award.

"We always try to uplift Jamaica and put a positive spin out there because you know other people always talk and it’s always a negative energy. So we just try to put Jamaica on the map in a positive way,” he continued.

“So when you hear people speak like that about you, it makes you know they recognise what you a do and what you a try accomplish for the country.”

The 100m and 200m world record holder who is unarguably the greatest Jamaican sportsman in history, is also considered in the league of sporting greats such as Lionel Messi and Michael Phelps.

In a national poll conducted in January 2024, music icon Bob Marley was favoured over Bolt and cultural giant Louise Bennett, popularly known as ‘Miss Lou’ to be Jamaica’s next national hero.

According to the survey conducted by Don Anderson’s Market Research Services Limited, Forty-four per cent of respondents chose Marley if he, along with Bolt and Miss Lou, were under consideration for the award.

Despite this, the Olympic legend doesn't have any hard feelings and still considers himself a national hero.

“The amount of people who see me and say ‘Usain, we love what you do for the country…You make ghetto youths want to do better. The overwhelming support and how people talk to you can tell that I’ve made a real impact on the country,” he concluded.