The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ANTHONY Williams, the first Bahamian to win a medal in a distance event at the CARIFTA Games in 1977 when he picked up a silver in the under-20 boys’ 800 metres in Bridgetown, Barbados, would like to help the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations revive the once flourishing distance programme.

But in the meantime, Williams is seeking the public’s assistance as he finds himself in dire need of $35,000 to cover his medical expenses for surgery on his right hip replacement. “I started feeling these pains and my wife (Roslyn) told me to go check it out with the doctor and I went and I was told that I have to go back for a hip replacement,” Williams said. “Being retired from government, the funds aren’t there, so I’m appealing to the government, the BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations) and the people of the Bahamas to help me out.”

In two months, Williams will have to return to hospital where he will be re-evaluated and hopefully have the surgery, which is required in order for him not to be paralysed.

About 10-15 years ago, Williams went to Cuba where he had surgery to replace an artificial cartilage on his hip. But because it’s pushing on his appellate bone, he noted that the doctors are trying to catch it before it bursts and leaves him crippled.

“I’m just waiting on the letter from the doctor,” Williams said. “But in the meantime, I’m trying to secure the funding because as soon as I go back, they want to be able to operate on me right away. I’m just working on getting everything so that I will be ready when I go back.”

His wife, Roslyn, said her husband really needs the assistance because “he’s in a lot of pain. I’m concerned about it because if he doesn’t get the surgery, in a year, he could end up being crippled. So we really need the public to support us through this difficult time.”

Interested persons can contact Williams at either 466-0398 or 552-3508 or email: roslyndean32@hotmail.com

Williams, who represented the Bahamas on at least three CARIFTA teams, clocked one minute and 54.91 seconds to win the 800m silver behind Barbados’ Ronald Forde (1:54.82) and ahead of Jamaica’s Leroy Robinson (1:55.58) in Barbados in 1977 before William ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson came back in 1978 with a pair of silver in the 1,500 (4:08.61) and 3,000 (9:05.75) when the Bahamas first hosted the games.

The Bahamas didn’t win its first title at the games until 1980 in Hamilton, Bermuda when Sterling Butler pulled off the first triumph in the 5,000 (16:03.04) and Rochelle Miller became the first female to win a medal in a distance event in the 3,000 (11.01.5).

However, he said he’s disappointed to see the decline in the Bahamas performances in both the distance and the field events, especially the throwing events.

“I’m highly disappointed to know that we were always strong in distance and we always had the Jamaicans in fear when they came to the distance events,” Williams said. “We always had them in the throwing events because the Jamaicans were never that strong.

“We knew we were there in the sprints, but we got a lot of our medals from the field events and our distance events were right there too. So I was disappointed that we didn’t have too many people competing in the distance events at this year’s Carifta. I really want to help out with the distance events.

“It really hurt me that we didn’t have too many people competing in the distance events. We had one young man (Andre Colebrooke), who medalled in the (under-20 boys) 800. The 3,000 and 5,000, we didn’t have any people competing for a chance to win a medal. That really hurt me a lot.”

Williams, who was instrumental in Chris “Fireman” Brown dropping from the long distance events to running the 800m before he came from Eleuthera and eventually started running the 400m, said he’s hoping that after he completes the surgery, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the BAAA will allow him to work with a distance programme.

“I’m willing to help out,” he said. “But I really need the public’s help to help me get through my surgery. I’m starting something in Kemp Road and I want the public to help me because I want to start a distance programme to get it started. I been there, so I know what to do.”