Germaine Mason dead at 34 – Team GB Olympic high jump hero killed in motorbike crash in Jamaica
High-jumper who won silver medal at Beijing 2008 Games died as Usain Bolt rushed to the scene
GERMAINE MASON, who won Olympic high jump silver for Britain at Beijing 2008 - died on Thursday in a motorcycle smash in Jamaica - with pal Usain Bolt among the first on the scene.
Mason was understood to be heading to Kingston in the early hours of Thursday morning after a party when he lost control of the motor bike, crashed, and died on the spot.
It is understood he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle on a causeway which links Kingston to the island's main airport and then lost control of the bike.
Olympic sprint superstar Bolt, who has been pals with Mason since 2002, got a call about the crash and travelled out the scene of the accident by which time Mason was already dead.
The 34 year-old was a surprise medallist for Britain in Beijing after being dumped from lottery funding months earlier because hi performances had not been good enough.
He leaped a personal best of 2.34m to take silver behind Russia's Andrei Silnov only for a knee injury to then wreck his career ahead of the 2009 world championships where Bolt broke his own 100m and 200m world records.
Among those paying tribute to him last night was Jo Pavey, who was a team-member of Mason at Beijing 2008 and is competing in Sunday's London Marathon as she bids to nook her place at this summer's World Championships on home soil at the age of 43.
On hearing the news: "Oh my god. It's awful news. He was a lovely guy and so talented. It's horrible news. I can't believe it. My thoughts go to his family and friends."
Fuzz Caan, the senior high jump coach at British Athletics who worked closely with Germaine at the time of his Olympic success, said: "Germaine was an outstanding athlete and a truly lovely man.
"He had a wry sense of humour and was a pleasure to be around. He was a great ambassador of British high jumping. It is an honour for us to have him as part of our sporting history.”
The 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, who was awarded a Damehood on Wednesday. She said: "This is just awful. Such sad news."
Mason won a junior world bronze for Jamaica in Kingston in 2002 when he first made friends with a 15 year-old beanpole called Usain Bolt who was in the same team. He was coached with Stephen Francis' MVP Track Club which included former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell before switching allegiance to Britain. He had held a UK passport all his life and has a London-born father David and a Jamaican mother.
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When Mason clinched silver in Beijing - Britain's first medal of the Games and one of only four at the time - Bolt who set two world records in the Bird's Nest Stadium said: "We've been friends since 2002 and I'm very happy for him. To me, it doesn't really matter who he runs for. We've been friends since way back."
His family have already had to cope with one major blow. In 2009 Mason, who competed for Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham, saw his then 16 year-old brother Andre jailed for LIFE for his part in the horrific gang murder of a 22 year-old student in Southall, West London.
He told SunSport at the time that his own life could have gone much the same way had it not been for sport keeping him on the straight and narrow.
He said: "It's been a difficult year for my family and I. We're coping with it, taking everything step by step."
Mason's death comes less than four months after two more British athletes were seriously injured in a motorbike crash while warm weather training in Tenerife.
James Ellington is battling to save his career after suffering serious leg and hip injuries in the accident, which also saw fellow sprinter Nigel Levine hurt.
Ellington was among the first to Tweet his shock at the news.
He said: "Can't believe the news I have just heard about Germaine Mason."
Linford Christie, the Olympic 100m champion from 1992, said: "My heart goes out to friends and family of Germaine Mason on this sad day. R I P Germaine. Never forgotten."
And Olympic 2000 heptathlon gold medallist Denise Lewis, who competed for Birchfield Harriers too, said: "I'm devastated."
Germaine Mason Factfile
Age: 34
Born: Kingston, Jamaica
Major honours: Olympic silver medal Beijing 2008, World indoor bronze, Budapest 2004 World junior silver, Chile 2000 World junior bronze, Jamaica 2002