At the start of the ongoing Paris Olympics, there were sixty five countries in the world that had never won an Olympic medal of any description. It is pleasing to note that that number has been reduced to sixty three by two Caribbean women.
Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred came first in the women's 100 metres final with a time of 10.72 seconds. She went on to claim a silver medal in the women's 200 metres final. At the age of twenty three she is destined to become a heroine in her small island nation for the rest of her life and good luck to her!
Just a hundred miles north of St Lucia is another island nation - Dominica. This is where thirty year old Thea LaFond was born though she emigrated to the USA with her family when she was a small girl. She now lives in Maryland.
Last Saturday, in the final of the Women's Triple Jump, she achieved a "personal best" distance of 15.02 metres and a gold medal for Dominica. As I say, it was her birth country's first ever medal. Even though it's a long time since she departed, she will also be a heroine forever on the island she still calls "home"
After her victory, Julien Alfred commented,“I said to God, I prayed to him that whenever I win, I’ll give him the glory always. So, I thank God for bringing me through, for giving me the strength to come so far."
Thea LaFond said, “It’s an understatement to say it’s a really big deal.”
For athletes from small nations, just participating in The Olympics is a great achievement but how much better it must feel to have actually earned gold medals!
I love these kinds of stories.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much un-nurtured talent out there.
DeleteGrand for those two and for all of the athletes.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. They are having a fine time in Gay Paree.
DeleteCongratulations to them :)
ReplyDeleteHave Australia ever won any Olympic medals?
DeleteWell done, ladies!!
ReplyDeleteThey prove that latent talent is there - even in the poorest nations without proper facilities. They were fortunate that US colleges spotted them and then lifted them.
DeleteI wondered about the first you mentioned when I heard she won a medal, that is she was from a country on your never won list. I don't know that God was responsible for the latter's win. I suspect more like a lot of hard work, dedication and training.
ReplyDeleteIs she referring to the same God who allows babies to die from diarrhoea?
DeleteThank you for actually keeping abreast of things. And congratulations to the two girls.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Olympics and seeing dreams come true for unexpected people who weren't on the radar.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why, not to rub it in, I got a kick yesterday after spending a week listening to Great Britain's Kerr and Norway's Ingebrigtsen trash talk each other about the men's 1500 meter race onto to have neither of them win it. Kerr did get a silver medal though by the skin of his teeth.
These are the stories that make the Olympics worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteVery happy for them.
ReplyDelete