Aleen Bailey.
Olympic and world championship sprint relay gold medalist Aleen Bailey walked away from the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel Wednesday night with the 2010 Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence and $500,000.
Bailey was the sixth winner of the award which recognises the achievement of a sports person who displays a high level of humility, integrity, discipline, and other exemplary qualities, while excelling in the field of sports.
Bailey turned back the challenge of two time Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, Caribbean motor racing champion David Summerbell Jnr and international chess master Jomo Pitterson to join Deon Hemmings-McCatty and Brigitte Foster-Hylton as the track and field athletes who have won the coveted award.
"I was surprised because everybody I was going up against are persons who have achieved greater stuff than I have. I'm truly humbled and honoured to have won over so much great talents," Bailey said.
She has long been recognised as the vibes queen in Jamaica's team at global championships.
She has done extensive voluntary work with several institutions including the Annotto Bay Hospital and Hillside Primary School in St. Mary and Vere Technical High School in Clarendon.
"It's basically to help develop young students. I am an athlete but I want to go beyond athletics and just help regular persons to achieve their goals by even helping them with school … I want to be able to help them with the finances to go to school," Bailey told RJR Sports.
The two time Olympic 100 metres finalist plans on giving back more to society when she launches her foundation in 2012.
Other past winners of the Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence are cricketers Nehemiah Perry and Jimmy Adams as well as netballer Elaine Davis.
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