Barbados! Fenty's Rihanna National Hero, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah Winner of Athlete 2021

Karsten Warholm and Elaine Thompson-Herah named World Athletes of the Year

1 December 2021



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Image caption,

Karsten Warholm was also named the men's European athlete of the year at the




Golden Tracks awards in October

Norwegian 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm and Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah have been named World Athletics' World Athletes of the Year.

Warholm, 25, won his award for beating the 29-year-old world record and taking Olympic gold in a stellar 2021,

His Tokyo time of 45.94 seconds is widely considered one of the greatest Olympic track performances of all time.

Thompson-Herah, 29, took the women's award for achieving the sprint double at a second consecutive Olympics.

Thompson-Herah on taming the demons en route to Tokyo gold

Listen: All About Elaine Thompson-Herah



IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right) helped Jamaica win gold in the 4x100m in Tokyo

She beat compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to the 100m gold in Tokyo and held off Namibian teenager Christine Mboma to retain her 200m title, repeating the Olympic double she won at Rio 2016.

Thompson-Herah also clocked 10.54sec over 100m and 21.53sec over 200m to move second in the world all-time rankings behind the late Florence Griffith Joyner.

Athing Mu, the 19-year-old American who won the women's 800m Olympic title, was named the female rising star.

Compatriot Erriyon Knighton, who at just 17 finished fourth in the men's 200m final in Tokyo, won the



Rihanna fans celebrate as she’s named national hero of Barbados: ‘I could literally cry’

Grammy-winning artist and Fenty founder is the 11th National lero

 

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Rihanna declared national hero as Barbados cuts ties with Queen

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Rihanna fans are celebrating after her homeland of Barbados declared the singer a national hero, as the Caribbean country became a republic.

Barbados has officially removed the Queen as its head of state and become a republic, 396 years after it was made part of the British Empire and 55 years after gaining independence from Britain.



Rihanna, who was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, was honoured in the presence of Prince Charles, Barbados prime minister Mia Motley, and new president Dame Sandra Mason, who represented the Queen as the island nation’s governor-general.

The “Diamonds” singer is the country’s 11th national hero, but only the second woman ever to receive the title, becoming The Right Honourable Robyn Rihanna Fenty during a ceremony last night.

Addressing the gathering, Motley said: “On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for national hero of Barbados, ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty may you continue to shine like a diamond.”

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Another commended her journey from “badgirlriri” to “the right honourable” Rihanna.

“Rihanna’s career and life trajectory has been insanely incredible. Like I just can’t believe my sis is doing THIS Blessings, hard work, authenticity, and her advocating for herself…look at what Rihanna made,” one fan wrote on Twitter,

Another wrote that the singer has “stayed true to her roots” and deserves “every blessing that has come and will come her way.”

Here are some other reactions to Rihanna’s ascension to Barbados’s national hero:

One fan joked: “I heard that Rihanna just became queen of Barbados” with a GIF of the singer wearing a crown.

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RihannaBarbadosPrince CharlesQueen Elizabeth