The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was a special return home to Eleuthera for Chris “Fireman” Brown on Wednesday. He got the street that he grew up on as a young boy renamed after him.

He was joined by his “Golden Knights” teammates of Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon “Fearless” Miller as they went on an island-wide celebration for their gold medal performance over the United States of America in the final of the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

The trip came two days after the team travelled to Grand Bahama, home of both Pinder and Mathieu.

It also ended the celebrations that included a series of appearances in New Providence all last week where they were lauded from every sector of society.

Once they touched down at the North Eleuthera International Airport, the team was ferried over to Harbour Island for breakfast at the Tingum Hotel and paraded through the streets in a motorcade.

They were ferried back to the mainland where they made stops at the world famous Glass Window Bridge, Gregory Town, Hatchet Bay and the island’s capital settlement of Governor’s Harbour where a brief ceremony was held.

It was then on to Rock Sound and ended in Wemyss Bight where they were treated with royalty.

The highlight of the celebration was when Brown along with his parents Nola and Harcourt Brown cut the ribbon and then he and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Danny Johnson, along with Member of Parliament Damian Gomez, unveiled the new sign that read: Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown Boulevard.

The old road was named Cotton Bay Road and it was where Brown, according to his parents, got his introduction to athletics running with the neighbourhood children in the street. Just outside their blue and white house, there’s a sign that reads: “Home of Chris Brown, Olympic Silver Medallist 2008, Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera.”

The sign was erected for the initial ceremony that was held after Brown anchored the men’s 4 x 400 relay team of Andretti Bain, Mathieu and Andrae Williams to the silver behind the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Miller and Avard Moncur were alternates on the team.

There is also a huge portrait of Brown that is erected at the entrance of the street.

The team departed through the Rock Sound International Airport on Thursday where Brown’s photo is also mounted.