The women's Olympic 100m medallists will get three of these in gold and silver from Stewart's Auto. The special cars will arrive in the island in January 2009.

Stewart's Auto Sales - a major sponsor of The Gleaner-sponsored Kingston Restaurant Week (KRW) and operators of the dealerships for Suzuki and BMW in Jamaica - will reward Olympians Shelly-Ann Fraser, Kerron Stewart and Sharone Simpson by presenting them with Suzuki Swift Sport motor cars for their historic 100m 1-2-2 finish in Beijing, China.

Each athlete will receive one of the snazzy, 125-horsepower Suzuki Swift Sport - with champion Shelly-Ann Fraser receiving a gold-coloured one, and silver- medallists Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson each receiving its silver-toned counterpart. The total value of the three vehicles would normally be just under $6.88 million, but the Government of Jamaica has agreed to a duty concession, which would reduce the cost of each.

Three-year servicing

However, the value of the gift has been enhanced by the fact that Stewart's is offering three years of scheduled service for the vehicles, and the Insurance Company of the West Indies has agreed to partner with Stewart's to provide complimentary comprehensive insurance coverage for one year for each vehicle.

Driving the decision to present the cars to the three women, said Stewart's Auto Sales' managing director Diana Stewart, was the fact that, "The achievement of the three Jamaican women resonated with the company - reminding us of the way in which our company had established its own three-pronged quality-value-service leadership in Jamaica's automotive industry," she quipped.

Mrs Stewart added that the company also felt that the Swift Sport model - which allows the driver to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.9 seconds - was an appropriate gift for the three athletes who had stunned the world with their speed and had shut out the challenge from any other competitors in their 100m race.

This donation is the latest contribution which the 70-year-old company is making to celebrate Jamaica's athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games. The company was among the first to respond to Sports Minister Olivia Grange's call for private sector support for the staging of the 'Salute to our Beijing Heroes' celebration activities - contributing $1 million cash to the effort. The total value of the Stewart's Auto Group contribution to date has been just under $8 million.

And, watch out for the KRW-branded Bimmers around town from now until November 15, as well as special appearances of our athletes at your favourite restaurant.