In the history of athletics, Merlene Ottey is one of the names the record keeps returning to.
The record lists Merlene Ottey as Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete.
Merlene Ottey was born at Hanover Parish in 1960. Her recorded nationality is Jamaica.
By this period sport was fully international, televised and politicised, and an athlete's reach extended far past the field of play.
She competed at 2004 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Athletic careers are short and pitilessly measured, which is what makes the great ones legible.
Formal honours included the Officer of the Order of Distinction.
That the career was built from Jamaica matters: facilities, coaching and funding are unevenly distributed, and they decide who ever reaches the start line.
What survives is the record itself - times, placings and titles that later competitors still measure themselves against.
Achievements
- Officer of the Order of Distinction
- Competed at 2004 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics
- Discipline: athletics
