Peta-Gaye Clachar - Dwight Thomas (right) is welcomed home by his mother, Pearline Reid, and Uncle Sean Rickets after arriving at the Norman Manley International Airport on Thursday.

Sunshine City plans own motorcade

Three-time Olympian Dwight Thomas and former Kingston College athlete Andre Wellington will be driven through the streets of Portmore this Thursday, October 9, in their own motorcade recognising the achievements of these two sons of the municipality at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in August.

This was disclosed at a press conference hosted at the Portmore Municipal Office, Portmore Pines, on Wednesday.

The event was conceptualised due to the fact that the Government is planning to recognise the athletes that did well at this year's Olympics.

"It was observed that not too many persons knew that two of the athletes from the Jamaican contingent were from Portmore," a release from the organisers read.

job well done

Octavia Waite, chairman of the Portmore Cultural Development Committee (PCDC), said that all stakeholders, her organisation, the Portmore Municipal Council spearheaded by Mayor Keith Hinds, and the Portmore Chamber of Commerce and Industries grabbed this opportunity to commend these athletes on a job well done. Mayor Hinds thanked the faithful Portmore residents who attended the press briefing and the business community that have come on board.

The event would be twofold: autograph signing and a small motorcade. Athletes will sign autographs at specific schools in the Sunshine City and Burger King, one of the major sponsors of the event. The motorcade starts at Ascot Primary and finishes at Waterford Primary where Dwight's athletic talent was discovered.

extremely happy

Meanwhile, Mayor Hinds disclosed that the main street leading to John's Hill in Hellshire will be renamed George Kerr Boulevard in honour of the past Olympian and resident of Hellshire.

Also in attendance was Thomas' mother, Pearline Reid who expressed satisfaction with the recognition her son will be given. "I'm extremely happy with what these people are doing for my son. When I saw him run at the Olympics and got a gold medal in the 4x100m relays, it made me feel proud," an elated Reid expressed.

Thomas ran the lead-off leg in the heats of the men's 4x100m at the Olympics and made way for superstar Usain Bolt in the final.

Andre Wellington is a former sprint star from Kingston College. He was a standout during Class Three and Two at Boys Champs, but in his Class one years he was dogged by injuries. He was on Jamaica's Olympic team for 2008 as a reserve for the men's 4x100m team.