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FORMER TOP-RANKING OLYMPIANS FORM 'WALL OF HONOR'
There is no statue of George Rhoden (below right) at Independence Park, even though he was a successful long-sprinter during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and won two Olympic gold medals in 1952.
However, he is one of the island's trail-blazers in the
mural that forms a wall of honor near the main entrance to the National Stadium.
On August 22, 1950 in Sweden, Rhoden set a new world record in the 400m of 45.8 secs. He
also won the AAU
Championships in 400m from 1949 to 1951 and as a
Morgan State University student, won the NCAA championships in 220 yds.
(200m) in 1951 and in 440yds. (400m) from 1950 to 1952.
At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Rhoden was a pre-race 400m favorite as a world record holder in the 400m. He beat McKenley, who had also been second in the 1948 Olympic 400m. As the anchor runner of the Jamaican relay team, Rhoden added a second Olympic gold, edging the US by a tenth of a second, and setting a new world record (3:03.9).
Deon Hemmings (no statue of her), was the first Jamaican woman to win Olympic gold when she took the 400m hurdles at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, setting the Games record which stood until 2004. She also won two silver medals at the 2000 Olympics in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, silver at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, bronze at the 1995 World Athletics Championships, silver at the 1997 World Athletics Championships and bronze at the 1999 World Athletics Championships, all in the 400m hurdles.
Hemmings retired in 2003. All photos by Desmond G. Palmer & Franklin Davis
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