Jamaica unites in hailing Bolt's triumph

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Prime Minister Bruce Golding hailed Usain Bolt's Olympic triumph on Saturday as a great symbol for Jamaica and people across the Caribbean island celebrated by honking car horns and cheering wildly.

One licensed gun holder fired a shot in the air as a salute to Bolt becoming the fastest man on earth.

Streets were nearly deserted while most of Jamaica's 2.7 million people were glued to television sets to watch Bolt in far away Beijing win the Olympic showcase men's 100 meters and smash his own world record in a time of 9.69 seconds.

"It's a great symbol to Jamaica and a great symbol to the people whom he represents," Golding said in statement.

Opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller, a former sports minister, said: "We are honored that you have brought glory to your country."

In the capital Kingston, resident Linden Foster described Bolt's Olympic victory as a wonderful moment for Jamaica.

"This could not have come at a better time when crime and the harsh economic climate have given Jamaica a bad image globally," said Foster.

"Most of us were expecting either Bolt or (fellow Jamaican Asafa) Powell to win the race, but how Bolt did it was special," he said.

The Pegasus Hotel in the capital reserved a special area which it called its Olympic Village where scores of fans cheered with abandon when Bolt pounded his chest as he crossed the line well ahead of the field at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing.

"I just could not stay at home when a race like this is going on. I may have fainted if I had stayed home alone, so I had to have people around me who could catch me if I fall while cheering," said Suzanne James.

(Editing by Ralph Gowling)