USAIN BOLT, track and field's most coveted athlete, returned home to a hero's welcome on Monday following his sensational performance at the Beijing Olympics.

Bolt took the sprint double in world-record times and shared in another record-breaking run for a third gold medal in the sprint relays. Local fans braved the afternoon rains just to get a touch of their hero, who received several scratches from the nails of adoring fans.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding described the behaviour towards Bolt as love and told the 22-year-old sprinter how much he was adored by locals.

"What it does say to you is that you have captured the heart of the Jamaican people; you have captured their love and attention," Golding said.

The world record holder for the 100 metres and 200 metres was taken on a motorcade from the Norman Manley International Airport to The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The prime minister was more than impressed by the way Jamaicans came out to meet the man nicknamed 'Lightning Bolt'.

"The last time I saw people come out like that along that route was when Nelson Mandela was here in 1990. I have not seen that sort of response since," Golding commented.

The prime minister later told The Gleaner that the Government would not squander the social capital associated with Bolt.

"There are programmes that have already been developed for that and we plan to roll that out round about the time when the celebrations take place," Golding said.

Bolt was named an ambas-sador-at-large a day later.