Marjorie Kennedy, president of the Jamaica Exporters Association, celebrates Usain Bolt's second gold medal and record-breaking run in the 200 metres, with an associate, at Jamaica Trade and Invest, in New Kingston. - Kyle Macpherson/Freelance Photographer
Another superhuman run by Usain Bolt in the men's 200-metre final and a superb run by Melaine Walker in the women's 400-metre hurdles have got local manufacturers feverish and ready to take advantage of Jamaica's positive image on the track.
"This thing about what makes us so fast is a thing that manufacturers must capitalise on. We need to start branding our products, whether it is our ackee, our yam our water, our climate." president of the Jamaica Manufacturer Association (JMA), Omar Azan, said yesterday.
The Boss Furniture principal was bursting with excitement as he watched the two athletes run across the finish line from his Church Street, downtown Kingston, office yesterday morning.
"It must be the ackee that those Americans don't want to import man!" he exclaimed as Walker crossed the line in fine style.
Beyond expectations
Azan said the attention being given to Jamaica shows that, even with limited resources, the country can excel beyond expectations.
"We need to work with the positive and work with what we have. There are great manufacturers doing great stuff also with limited resources. Jamaica needs to be supportive of local manufacturers and not only when positive stuff happens," he said.
"These wins say to the world that we have a strong brand we can capitalise on. Jamaica needs to use this as a catalyst to move forward. Whatever we need to do now to market ourselves positively to the world we must do it," he added.
Pandemonium in Half-Way Tree as hundreds of Jamaicans watch Usain Bolt break the 200m World record and Melaine Walker broke the 400m hurdles Olympic record. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer