The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net Two decades of racing for 'Golden Girl' Eldece Clarke and more than five as a competitor, an executive and volunteer for Alexander Doyle Burrows will culminate with both of them being inducted into the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederations Class of 2012 Hall of Fame. CACAF president Victor Lopez will head a list of dignitaries who are expected to conduct the ceremony at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, Cable Beach, on March 4. Clarke, who celebrated her 47th birthday on Monday, and Burrows, whose 69th birthday was on February 9, said they are thrilled to have been considered for such international recognition. "Personally, I think this is one of the best. It reminds me of all that I've sacrificed over the years," said Clarke, who competed from 1980 to 2000. "I've competed in the Olympics but CAC is where I got my start so it's always good to be recognised for your beginning. So this is one of the best and proudest awards (that I've received)." Having been respected for the role he played over the years as a facilities expert, Burrows said there's no greater feeling than to have your peers honour you. "When your peers from the entire region honour you, I think it's one of the tops," he stated. "You can't ask for more, especially when you didn't expect it. That's what is good about it." Alpheus 'Hawk' Finlayson, who serves as the third vice president of the CACAF, said the indications were first held in Jamaica and Cuba in 2003 when Herb McKenley, George Rhoden, Don Quarrie and Grace Jackson were some of the Jamaicans inducted and Alberto Juantorena as one of the Cubans. According to Finlayson, this will be the fourth induction for the Bahamas. The first was held in 2008 when Dr Bernard Nottage, Livingstone Bostwick, Frank Rutherford, Troy Kemp and Pauline Davis-Thompson were inducted. Last year, Keith Parker was the lone member in the second class. "To be eligible, the athlete needs to have won a World Championships or Olympic medal and have participated in either the Senior Central American and Caribbean Championships or Central American and Caribbean Games," Finlayson said. "They would have not participated in sport for some five years. As a competitor, the individual would have made significant contributions to the sport of athletics in the region." Tickets can be obtained from the BAAA office at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, the Prescription Parlour Pharmacy on East Street South, AG Electric on Jerome Avenue and at the Colony Club on St Alban's Drive. Davis-Thompson, an IAAF council member, said she was elated to see both her long-time friend Clarke and Burrows, whom she has travelled with on numerous national teams, as the latest inductees. The fellow 'Golden Girl' noted that she and Clarke spent a lot of time travelling together and have developed a bond that will last forever. As for Burrows, she added that he has been an inspiration with his voluntary service on the local and international scenes. Clarke was a member of the women's 4 x 100 metre relay team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and gold medal team at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain, and the 2000 Olympics in Sidney, Australia, which earned them the nickname 'Golden Girls.' Although she broke onto the international scene at the Carifta Games in 1980, Clarke had her best individual performance at the Marie Perigne International Meet in Martinique in April, 2000, when she ran 10.96 seconds. At the time, it turned out to be the fastest time recorded in the world. Burrows was a member of the Pioneer's Sporting Club, competing for the first time in 1960. He later went on to represent the BAAA as a manager of numerous World Championships and Olympic track and field teams. Donations from the induction ceremony will be used to help fund the BAAA team that will be selected to participate at the London Olympics in August.