TWO-TIME Mr Universe winner Earl Maynard has won international medals and honours and twice has been inducted into a Hall of Fame, but says none of them compare to this year’s National Independence Award.
Maynard was all smiles yesterday after being honoured with a Barbados Service Medal (BSM) for his sterling contribution to bodybuilding which has included several global titles, the majority of them in his heyday in the 1960s.
Its a birthday gift for the affable Maynard, who turned 78 on Thursday.
“This means a lot to me. I feel fantastic. This is the first honour that I have received from Barbados and I feel really good about it,” he said.
Maynard said he was congratulated at yesterday’s Independence Day Parade at the Garrison by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Members of Parliament (MPs) and former Cabinet Ministers.
“The Prime Minister told me I deserved it, while [former minister) Clyde Griffith said it was a long time coming and should have happened a long time ago.
