OLYMPIC GOLD medallist Sherone Simpson numbered among four sporting stars who were honoured at Sunday night's 2005 Prime Minister's National Youth Awards for Excellence & The Jamaica Youth in Concert ceremony held at Emancipation Park.

The Prime Minister's National Youth Awards for Excellence is the highest honour bestowed upon Jamaicans between the ages 15-24.

Since 1998, this National Honour has been conferred upon young Jamaicans who have achieved eminent national and international distinction in the categories of Academics, Agriculture, The Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Journalism, Leadership, Sports, Youth in Service, and International Achievement.

OTHER RECIPIENTS

Two-time World Junior Championship silver medallist Anneisha McLaughlin, Simone Forbes, who represented Jamaica in three sports and martial arts star Nicholas Dussard, were the other recipients from the sporting fraternity.

Simpson, a 21-year-old student at the University of Technology (UTech), was recognised as the youngest Jamaican to win a gold medal at the highest level when she helped her country to the 2004 Olympic Games 4x100m victory in Athens.

McLaughlin, who won gold in the 200m at July's Pan American Junior Championships in Canada, was recognised for winning more than 28 international and regional medals.

She has won several Carifta Games, Central American & Caribbean, Pan American Junior Championships, and World Junior Championships titles.

Forbes, who has represented Jamaica in five disciplines at the senior level, was recognised for her contribution to netball, basketball, volleyball, football and softball.

She was named International Student Athlete of the Year in 2003, and G.C. Foster College Sportswoman of the Year in 2002, and was a member of Jamaica's Under-21 netball team which won silver at the Youth Championship in 2000. She was also a member of the bronze medal team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the Sunshine Girls team that took bronze at the 2003 World Netball Championships in Kingston.

Meanwhile, Dussard has distinguished himself in the Korean martial arts form of taekwon-do. He won bronze in the Junior Black Belt Heavyweight Championship at the 2004 World Cup of Taekwon-do in 2004.