The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GOLDEN Girl Pauline Davis’ award-winning book “Running Sideways” has gone global.

The book, which portrays her rise from running barefoot out of the grassroot to international acclaim as an Olympic champion, will be translated into Chinese for studies by students in colleges and universities in China, according to Davis and her publicist Jeff Todd.

Todd, who wrote the book, revealed that Davis signed and sealed the deal that was delivered to her on Monday by a Chinese professor who, after reading the script, was intrigued by her journey.

“A Chinese printing press will be translating the book and putting into the hands of hundreds and thousands of Chinese university students and maybe more people in China as well,” Todd revealed. A retired Davis, who is now working as a consultant at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, said she’s over the moon.

“I am beyond belief. I am scratching my head because I never believed something like this would happen to me,” Davis said. “I just wanted to tell my story.

“I wanted things to be better for my fellow Bahamian athletes and athletes all around the world. I want them to know that at times you will run through road blocks and speed bumps, but you just have to push through them. You have to run them over.”

When she collaborated with Todd in writing the script, Davis said she never thought in a million years that it would eventually be translated into another language, especially Chinese.

“My mother calls me ‘Sweet P’ because she said I have a good heart. She said my heart always touches people,” Davis said. “She said ‘baby,’ young have a really good heart.

“I think part of that is because I naturally love people. I want to reach out and help people. I always wanted to help people. My mom said from I was young; I was always like that. That is why she called me “Sweet P.’”

As a result of her nature, Davis said she believe that God has and continue to bless her as she went through the obstacles that she had to endure.

“When I was down, the Bahamian people were giving me all types of love, so what I did running track and field, I did it for them,” she insisted. “They show me so much love every day I walk the streets. I am so blessed to be a paet of this beautiful country we call The Bahamas.”

For Todd, who has wrote quite a few manuscripts, it’s the first time that any of his publication has international.

“”It’s pretty special to have your book translated into another language,” Todd said. “It’s not something that Pauline or I could have prevented. It’s just been a great ride.

“I’m so happy that we worked together to put this book together. We’ve gone from winning two international awards to printing a second edition to now getting it translated into Chinse, one of the most populace country in the world. It’s amazing. It means a lot.”

So far, more than 10,000 copies of the book have been printed. With this deal in China, the numbers could escalate as they read into her genuine experience.

“I’m really happy for Pauline. I know she’s been waiting a long time for this deal to be done,” Todd said.

Davis said she can’t believe that all these college students in China will be reading her book. he said she is expected to travel to China at some point in the future to promote her book to a wider audience.

“I’m just over the moon,” said Davis as she eager awaits a trip to the Orient where she would have competed at some point during her long and illustrious track career.

The 57-year-old Davis shined from the top regional junior CARIFTA Games as the Austin Sealy award winner in 1984 in Nassau as the most outstanding athlete in prominence at the global World Championships and Olympics, both individually and as a member of the Golden Girls women’s 4 x 100mk relay team.

She competed in five Olympics, winning her first medal in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia with the women’s relay team of Savatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and Eldece Clarke, and her first gold with the same team at the Sydney, Australia games in 2000. 

At those same games in Sydney, after American Marion Jones was banned nine years later for a doping violation, Davis was elated from silver to her first individual gold in the 200m.