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World record-holding sprint legend Usain Bolt is to be honoured by the City of Miramar in Florida on July 15.
A statue of Bolt will be unveiled as part of the city’s tribute.
The statue was done by renowned Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson, out of Atlanta, Georgia. The cost of the statue is US$25,000, and it will be located at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, which now boasts a world-class track and which has seen a number of international track meets being held at the sports complex.
The Vice Mayor of Miramar, Jamaican Alexandra Davis, who commissioned the statue and who has organized the event to honour Bolt, told The Gleaner that it is fitting that the city should recognize Bolt’s achievements.
The statue of Bolt will represent the first monument erected in a public space under a new programme in which developers in the city have been asked to commission art pieces in public spaces in their development projects to benefit the city and the people of the city, Davis told The Gleaner.
She said the funds for the statue were part of the arts and public spaces fund.
Developers who are unable to provide art pieces in public spaces contribute to this fund along with the city itself.
Bolt, who will arrive in Florida on July 14, will hold clinics for young prospective athletes as well as oversee a number of races among different groups.
On July 15, a banquet will be held in his honour, with part proceeds from that function going to Bolt’s foundation and part going to Do The Right Thing Inc of the City of Miramar.