The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT took 28 long years for the Bahamas to get back onto the Olympic medal podium after Sir Durward Knowles and Cecil Cooke won gold at the Tokyo Games in 1964. But since the drought was broken in 1992 four more golds, two silvers and four bronzes have been inked in the almanac up to the last four-yearly global event in 2012 in London.

Frank Rutherford won a bronze medal in the triple jump in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992 and in between the Bahamas have been celebrating, the most recent coming from the 4 x 400 metre relay team of Golden Knights’ Chris Brown, Demetrus Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller in London two years ago.

“We’ve had some tremendous success over the years,” said Sir Arlington Butler, who served as the immediate president when all of the accomplishments were done, with the exception of 2012 whe he was replaced by Wellington Miller. “We were really out of our league and what we’ve done is almost immeasurable.”

When one considered the the Golden Girls’ team of Savatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and reserve Eldece Clarke upset the United States in the 4 x 100m for the gold, was remarkable for the relays.

“That was just unheard off,” said Butler of the feat that came from the previous games in Atlanta, Georgia when the same team had to settle for the silver behind the United States.

That same year, Davis-Thompson won a silver in the 200m, but was elevated to the gold after American superstar Marion Jones tested positive for drugs and was stripped of her medals.

In fact, that turned out to be the Bahamas’ most successful year as the team of Avard Moncur, Troy McIntosh, Carl Oliver and Timothy Munnings picked up the bronze in the 4 x 400m.

The following Olympiad in 2004 in Athens, Greece, the Bahamas got another pair of medals, this time with Tonique Williams surging to the gold in the women’s 400m and Ferguson-McKenzie clinging onto the bronze in the women’s 200m.

Another pair of medals came in 2008 in Beijing, China when the team of Andretti Bain, Mathieu, Andrae Williams and Brown made their breakthrough in the men’s 4 x 400m relay with a silver behind the United States.

In London, Sands was on the run way attempting to duplicate his medal feat from Athens when he popped his knee in the final and had to lifted out of the pit He eventually had to undergo surgery before he left the games and returned to his residence in the USA.

However, the team of Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Mathieu and Ramon Miller turned out to be the giant killers as the Bahamas powered to the gold in the men’s 4 x 4m relay over the United States.

“For the men to beat the United States in the 4 x 4 in London was another achievement that you can’t really say ‘well, we knew this was going to happen, or that we did anything to make us special,’” Butler said. “That was a remarkable thing for us. It was just as significant as the women’s 4 x 1 team and the triple jump by Frank Rurtherford, as well as Tonique Williams.

“These are just unbelievable and they are too significant to measure. All I can say is that we just have to enjoy them because we were able to excel well beyond our capacity.”

Miller, who became a member of the BOC in November, 1964, will be gearing up for his Golden Anniversary next month. He has served as the president of the BOC for more than 30 years, the longest reign by any person in the region.

In the meantime, the focus will be on the 2016 Games that will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5-21. Hopefully, the success will be extended for the Bahamas.