The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TAKING a break from the formal events to celebrate her achievement, 'Golden Girl' Shaunae Miller-Uibo took to the streets where she interacted with the Kemp Road community.

Yesterday's walk-a-bout was conducted by ASP Wilton Johnson, along with Commander Superintendant Oswald Nixon, and was geared towards the residents of Sutton Street.

"It's an amazing feeling," said Miller-Uibo, accompanied by her husband, Maicel Uibo, and father Shaun Miller. "Just to go back and to meet the Bahamian people is awesome.

"It's a very humbling experience for me and I just want to take this time to mingle with the Bahamian people and let them feel the excitement that I felt in representing them."

The 6-foot, 1-inch Miller-Uibo, who left a lot of onlookers in awe by her height, distributed some gifts to the children she greeted and she signed autographed photos for all who wanted one.

And even though it's the end of a long and gruelling season in which she went undefeated in both the 200 and 400 metres en route to her triumph at the Commonwealth Games to the IAAF Continental Cup for the Americas (regional) team, Miller-Uibo took the opportunity to run up and down the hill at St Bede's Catholic Church with some of the children.

She suffered her first defeat, but it didn't matter. She just enjoyed the thrill of entertaining the youngsters and the crowd that started to form.

"It's a little different because I got to feel the energy of the Bahamian people," Miller-Uibo stated. "I'm just glad to communicate with them and to let them realise that I am human too and they can be anything they want to be and even better than I am if they put their minds to it."

Leandra Lucthamas, an 11-year-old seventh grader at DW Davis Junior High School, said as a track fanatic, she always wanted to meet Miller-Uibo and she was surprised that she finally did in her community.

"I have never seen her in real life, so I was really surprised," said Lucthamas, who along with her seven year-old brother Daniel, a seventh grader at Claridge Primary, was thrilled to meet her. "When I came from school I saw her, but I didn't know what they were doing. Now that I met her, I want to go out there and do better than she did."

Daniel Dean, a 16-year-old 11th grader at CI Gibson, was another youngster that got to meet Miller-Uibo. He along with a few of his fellow students were impressed with what they saw.

"This wasn't my first time, but to really talk with her it was inspiring," said the Silver Athletic Track Club member. "I wanted to meet her for so long, but I only saw her once at the track. I really wanted to get to talk to her, but I didn't."

For Uibo, a native of Estonia, he said it was certainly something different.

"The kids looked excited seeing Shaunae in person, rather than just on the TV screen," said Uibo, who got married to Miller-Uibo in February, 2017 and has been in and out of the Bahamas training with Shaun Miller.

"It's a lot of fun and it's pretty awesome for the kids to see someone who they have only seen on TV as a Bahamian, but maybe not as up close and personal as they did now. It's good to see their faces light up."

Shaun Miller, representing his wife May, said it was always a dream of Miller-Uibo to touch the lives of the inner-city residents and this was a prefect time to do it.

"I'm happy to see it because the Bahamas is everyone and a lot of people in the community wanted to see her and not just at schools, but at house visits.

"So we wanted to come into the community so everybody can celebrate this victory because it's a Bahamian thing.

"We hope that we can one or two more of these visits before she leaves this weekend."

ASP Johnson, who organised the event, said with so many underprivileged children in the community, Miller-Uibo's visit will certainly uplift a lot of their spirits.

"With Shaunae coming into the ghetto or the lower income area, she can bring a lot of hope to them that they can achieve some of the same things that she did," he said.

"Her father and I grew up in Englerston together and when he called me and told me he wanted to do something like this, I told him we can do a number of areas like this, just to try and motivate the kids in the area."

Superintendent Williams said it was good for the community to see Miller-Uibo up close and personal.

"They got to see one of our stars live and in colour here on Sutton Street, off Kemp Road," he said. "I think for them seeing her, it is motivating. We have some of the students here from CI Gibson and so I think they also get to see what they could achieve if they keep their shoulders to the wheel in terms of academics and athletics."

The visit to Sutton Street came after Miller-Uibo paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hubert Minnis and she met with the Royal Bahamas Police Force earlier in the day.

She also made a special visit to The Tribune where she interacted with the staff.