Usain Bolt Honors Jamaican Women’s Soccer Team After Dream World Cup Run Ends: ‘You Made Us All Proud’

The eight-time Olympic gold medalist shared his support for the team, following their loss to Colombia in the Round of 16 on Tuesday

Usain Bolt is sending love to the Reggae Girlz!

Following the Jamaican national team’s Round of 16 loss at the World Cup on Tuesday, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist is sharing his support for the team.

“You made us all proud #ReggaeGirlz,” the retired Jamaican sprinter wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The Jamaican women’s soccer team, who lost to Colombia 0-1 in the quarterfinals, pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 Women’s World Cup last week, drawing a 0-0 tie with Brazil, the No. 8 ranked team in the world.

The result sent the No. 43-ranked team to the knockout round while the Brazilian women’s team went home.

Related: Jamaica Beats Brazil to Make Round of 16 After Needing a GoFundMe to Afford Trip to World Cup

Several members of the Jamaican team were crying and hugging each other afterwards — which was dubbed "an achievement beyond belief," according to Fox Sports announcer Jacqui Oatley.

But the Jamaican team almost didn’t get their caps due to financial difficulties.

Thanks to two last-minute fundraisers — including a GoFundMe launched by midfielder Havana Solaun’s mom and another set up by the Reggae Girlz Foundation — the team was able to make their way to Australia and New Zealand.

Related: Jamaica Women’s National Soccer Team Says Bob Marley’s Daughter Is Like ‘Our Fairy Godmother’

“If I can somehow make this journey smoother for them — and let them focus on what they’d love to do is play soccer — they shouldn’t be worried about the politics or getting a flight or getting accommodation,” Solaun’s mom, Sandra Phillips-Brower, told the Associated Press last month. “They should be able to go there and do what they qualified to do, just play soccer.”

Another more consistent source of support has been from Cedella Marley — the late Bob Marley’s 55-year-old daughter.

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Cedella has been helping fund the women’s soccer team since 2014 — and is even responsible for resuscitating it — after Jamaica had shut down the squad in 2008, according to a new report from the Associated Press.

“Her support has been really important to us and she’s just the heart of this team,” Jamaica midfielder Deneisha Blackwood told the AP. “She’s just like our fairy godmother. We just appreciate her for everything she has done so far.”

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