By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
COME September 30, ‘Golden Girls’ 4 x 100 metre relay team of Eldece Clarke, Savatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and Pauline Davis-Thompson will celebrate their 15th anniversary of winning the Bahamas’ first gold medal in athletics at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
The ‘Golden Girls’, who made history as well the year before when they won the gold at the IAAF World Championship in Seville, Spain in 1999, were reunited over the weekend, with the exception of Davis-Thompson, as they participated in the naming of the Mychal Thompson Boulevard and the unveiling of the portraits of the 26 athletes on the Sports Legends Walk.
Davis-Thompson was conspicuously absent as she was attending the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada where she was also campaigning for another term in office as a council member on the IAAF Executive Board when the elections are held at the Congress at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August.
Speaking on behalf of her ‘Golden Sisters,’ Clarke said they were all appreciative of the gesture by the Bahamas Government to honour them in the manner that they did, winning the Olympic gold in a season’s best of 41.95 after running a then world leading time of 41.92 for the World Championship gold in Seville.
“I firmly believe that all that we achieved was due to our God-given talent and our positive attitude,” said Clarke, who at the time had one of the fastest times in the world in the 100m. “To me, I really appreciate the wonderful gesture of them placing our photos with all of the other top athletes. The way it was done was in grand style. Personally, it was really appreciated and as a Bahamian, it was a great feeling to know that you are appreciated. I feel with this being our 15th year since we won the gold in Sydney, we were all pleased to be remembered and honoured in the way that they did it. It was well put together and it was done in grand style.”
Clarke said it was unfortunate that Davis-Thompson was unable to join them as she did when the entire team got together for the first time this year during the second IAAF World Relays in May at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. At that time, the team was reintroduced to the public prior to the start of the two-day competition. They also interacted with the public and the athletes during the competition.
“We are sisters. We call ourselves sisters. We have a sisterhood and we intend to be sisters for the rest of our lives,” she said. “We actually address ourselves as golden sisters. We are sisters. We spent five consecutive years doing well from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia to 2000 and this is the 15th year that we have won the gold in Sydney.
“I think the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism did a tremendous job of planning and organising this event. We hope that when we get back together in September for our celebrations that there is something else planned for us by the government.”
Without going into any details, Clarke hinted that it would be good to see the ‘Golden Girls’ names placed on a street as well in the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre. At one time, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson had hinted that the Bahamas Government is contemplating the naming of a street for retired tennis legend Mark Knowles.
“What we did, we did from our heart, but after the naming of the street for Mychal Thompson, we heard that there is something being planned for us too,” Clarke said. “Even if they don’t do anything, I think just the fact that they continue to honour us is a wonderful gesture and it was done in grand style.
“Everyday, the achievement we got hit home. To be able to sit at the naming of the street and to chat with my golden sisters and talk about our kids and what’s happening in our lives, was just so special. It just reminds us of the things we achieved and the fact that we did it all together as a team, as sisters.”
Clarke said whenever, if it is ever done, they will certainly appreciate the accolades for the “Golden Girls.”
“We were sorry that Pauline wasn’t there with us, but we understand her commitment to the sport,” Clarke said. “We wish her well and hope that she is successful in being re-elected to the IAAF Council. We were all humbled and appreciated for the gesture.
“I think what really stuck out the most for us was the fact that the pictures look so much like us. The artist is so special. He has a gift. Every pimple, every expression we had our original picture that he used, was captured in the portraits that were put up on display. He’s very talented. He’s gifted. I really want to thank him again on behalf of not only the Golden Girls, but all of the athletes on display.”
The portraits were done by the celebrity artist Jamaal Rolle, who is also The Tribune cartoonist.
Also honoured were Sir Durward ‘Sea Wolf’ Knowles (sailing), Thomas A Robinson (athletics), Andre Robinson (baseball), William ‘Yamma Bahama’ Butler Jr (boxing), Wenty Ford (baseball), Anthony Carroll (bodybuilding), Rick Fox (basketball), Frank Rutherford (athletics), Ed Armbrister (baseball), Captain Rollie Gray (sailing), Everette ‘Elisha Obed’ Ferguson (boxing), Cecil Cooke (sailing), Osbourne ‘Goose’ Lockhart (basketball), Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson (basketball), Michael Mathieu (athletics), Ramon Miller (athletics), Tureano ‘Reno’ Johnson (boxing), Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (swimming), Demetrius Pinder (athletics), Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands (athletics), Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown (athletics), Savatheda Fynes (athletics), Debbie Ferguson (athletics), and Mark Knowles (tennis).
See Jamaal Rolle’s portraits and win the chance to have your own done by the Celebrity Artist, page two
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