Stephen Francis called to Order
Stephen Francis, the mercurial track coach who has nurtured the careers of sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson, was awarded the Order of Jamaica by the Jamaican government on October 16.
Jamaica’s fourth highest honor
Francis received the accolade, Jamaica’s fourth highest honor, during the annual National Honors and Awards ceremony at Kings House in St. Andrew, Jamaica.
“It’s obviously a great honor,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer after receiving the OJ from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen
“I know that there are a lot of Jamaicans out there who say that they really like the job that we do at MVP, and what we have done over the years, so I think this is a good token for them, and it’s added motivation to continue doing what we have been doing.”
The portly Francis has openly clashed with Jamaican track officials over the years, calling them out for not representing athletes properly when they travel abroad for major meets such as the Olympics. He has also had public spats with some of his athletes including Fraser-Pryce and Asafa Powell, who helped put his MVP club on the map.
Fraser-Pryce and Thompson are Francis’ biggest success stories. They won the sprint double at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, respectively.
Several other outstanding Jamaican sports men and women were recognized by the government for their achievements. These individuals received the Order of Distinction, Jamaica’s fifth highest honor.
Other sportsmen/women honored
Included in the group were Jamaican and West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, former champion jockey George HoSang, former soccer star and current Jamaica coach Theodore Whitmore, West Indies female star player Stafanie Taylor, track and field coach Maurice Wilson, track and field administrator Ian Forbes and cricket administrator Brian Breeze.
