Merlene Ottey arrives in Jamaica for top honours

Olympian Merlene Ottey has arrived in Jamaica ahead of a special ceremony on Saturday, February 16 where she University of Technology (UTech) will confer on her the Honorary Doctor of Technology, Sport.

The function will be held at Ottey’s alma mater, Vere Technical High School and will form part of the staging of the Ben Francis Invitational III meet being hosted by Vere Technical in honour Ottey.

Ottey accepted UTech’s offer to award her the honorary degree which was to have been conferred at one of the University’s two graduation ceremonies held last November 2012.

She was however unable to travel to Jamaica at that time.

Ottey is to receive this honorary degree in recognition of her outstanding athletic achievements and her widely respected contribution to the worldwide acclaim of Jamaica as a leader in Track & Field.

Ottey competed in six Olympic Games for Jamaica and won more Olympic medals in track and field history than any other female athlete.

She became the first female athlete in the English-speaking Caribbean to win an Olympic medal when she won bronze in the 200m in 1980 and became the oldest woman to ever win an Olympic medal with her final one, her silver medal as part of the 4x100 m Jamaica team at the 2000 Sydney games.