Fourteen years ago, a teenager from a small fishing village stood atop the Olympic podium as Grenada’s national anthem played for the first time in history. At only 19 years old, Kirani James had just won the men’s 400 meters at the London Olympics, delivering Grenada’s first Olympic medal and first Olympic gold. Back home, celebrations spilled into the streets as an entire nation embraced that moment. Now, more than a decade later, James is set to receive an unusual national honor far beyond athletics.

James is set to replace Queen Elizabeth II on the new Eastern Caribbean $5 banknote, according to The Voice. Though it is unusual for a living person to appear on a country’s currency, Queen Elizabeth II has featured on Eastern Caribbean banknotes since 1965. That era is now coming to an end.

The new series is expected to enter circulation in 2027 and will feature 11 notable Caribbean figures instead of the British monarch. The decision to redesign the currency was approved during the 105th ECCB Monetary Council Meeting held on 21 July 2023 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Eastern Caribbean Dollar is used across eight member states: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, and Montserrat. That means Kirani James’ face will move across the region in a way most athletes only dream of.

“It is an honour to have this privilege of being featured in this way,” Kirani James said after the announcement. “Never in my journey would I have imagined something like this to happen. It makes me proud to be Grenadian and part of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).”

Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, also called him a “living legend.” He said, “You don’t normally get your face placed on currency unless you are deceased. “So the fact that he’s still very much a young man and still very much active in sports and that his face is going on the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, I think that is a testimony to not just his pores as an athlete, but I think his humanity, his gentlemanness, you know I think he represents the best of us.”

This is not the first time Grenada has honored him. After his Olympic breakthrough, the country renamed its national athletics stadium the Kirani James Athletic Stadium, and a major road in the capital, St George’s, became Kirani James Boulevard. But as smooth as his journey looks now, it has not always been so.

Kirani James faced life-threatening health challenges

Kirani James was born in Gouyave, Grenada, a small coastal town on an island where elite training facilities were limited. There was no high-performance setup in place, so most athletes had to leave the country to reach the top level.  He first found track and field through school in Grenada. Later, he began more structured training when he joined a local athletics club called SpeedZone around the age of 13, working under coach Albert Joseph.

Even as a teenager, his rise was rapid. He became one of the fastest youth 400m runners in the world, won CARIFTA Games titles, and picked up World Youth and Junior medals before turning 18. By 2011, at just 18 years old, he had already become a world champion.

That rise continued into the Olympic stage. In 2012, in London, he won Olympic gold in the 400m. And then, in Rio 2016, he won silver in the 400m, finishing behind Wayde van Niekerk, who set a world record of 43.03. Kirani James ran 43.76 in a season-best performance.  Everything shifted in 2017 at the Drake Relays. He was expecting a normal early-season race. But the finish told him something was off.

His recovery time was much longer than normal, and his speed was also slow. That race put him on a medical track, and his tests showed him to have a serious problem with his thyroid. Later, a specialist confirmed Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that overactivates the thyroid. Having been diagnosed, he could no longer compete at all.

Kirani James came back in June 2018 at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, where he immediately showed signs of improvement by beating Fred Kerley in a tight finish in 44.35. But the recovery was not easy. He also had some minor recurring injuries throughout 2019.

During this period, he also faced personal loss. In May 2019, his mother, Annie James, passed away due to kidney disease. Despite everything, he rebuilt step by step. He then went on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and won bronze. And even now at 33, he has not retired. He remains active on the circuit, still competing into 2026, including a 45.35 run at the USATF LA Grand Prix at USC Loker Stadium in Los Angeles.

And for many, it feels like a full-circle moment, where the boy who made history for his country now becomes part of its everyday life.