Jamaican Sports Icons

1. Usain Bolt
No other Jamaican has come close to matching Bolt's mind-boggling achievements, much less his worldwide appeal. Whatever happens in London, Bolt's status as the greatest sports personality we have ever had is assured.
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2. George Headley
No other Jamaican sportsman (or woman, for that matter), with the exception of Bolt, has been so universally recognised as, arguably, the best in the world for so long.
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3. Merlene Ottey
Ottey's accomplishments are too numerous to mention, and her longevity is superhuman. The name Merlene Ottey creates a greater ripple, and a greater feeling of awe, than Veronica Campbell Brown's.
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4. Veronica Campbell-Brown
Campbell-Brown would outdo Ottey in terms of quality medals. She has three Olympic gold medals, a silver and a bronze.
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5. Asafa Powell
Powell's continuous assault on the 100 metres world record a few years ago rekindled interest in the sport globally, and spawned new interest in a whole generation of Jamaican sprinters, including Usain Bolt. He is still among the top five fastest men ever and has recorded more sub ten second wins than anybody else.
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6. John Barnes
Barnes didn't play for Jamaica, but the Jamaican-born footballer was, for much of the 1980s, thought of as the best left-sided attacking player in the game. Playing for Liverpool, he was an absolute wizard, and in that 1986 World Cup game against Argentina, he came close to eclipsing the work of the greatest footballer ever, Diego Maradona.
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7. Donald Quarrie
Donald Quarrie (DQ) is, arguably, before Bolt, the most universally respected Jamaican sprinter ever. He just noses out Herb McKenley for the reason that DQ was an individual gold medallist at the Olympics, while McKenley was not.
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8. Herb McKenley
Olympian Herb McKenley remains hugely popular and respected, as much for his work off the track as his performances on it during his heyday.
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9. Michael Holding
Cricketer Michael Holding (pictured here in the 1970s) was easily among the most feared and respected bowler in his time. Michael is still revered as being among the very best commentators in the game and his contribution to the sport continues.
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10. Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh takes the final spot by the sheer weight of performance. You just can't ignore 500-plus Test match wickets, which was the most by a pacer in his time.
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