BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, – Prime Minister Denzil Douglas has hailed the exploits of the country’s veteran sprinter Kim Collins who rolled back the years again last weekend to shine in the Aviva International Match in Scotland.
The 35-year-old Collins finished second in the men’s 60 metres dash in a time of 6.66 seconds, as Britain’s Mark Lewis-Francis won the event.
Collins then returned to claim silver in the 200 metres in a time of 21.39 seconds, in the event taken by Britain’s Danny Talbot.
“Despite being much older than most runners, Kim again distinguished himself, coming in second in both the 60 and the 200 metre races in Glasgow, Scotland – each time being surpassed only by Great Britain, and each time coming in ahead of Germany – and everyone else,” Douglas said during his weekly radio programme.
Collins is the country’s most recognizable athlete, having competed at the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, though he has failed to win a medal.
He is a former World champion, having won the title in Paris nine years ago and he also surprised with a bronze medal in Daegu last year in the 100 metres.
Douglas said Collins’s heroics had been an inspiration to the tiny Caribbean nation.
“We have to forget about what is impossible, and focus on what is possible,” said Douglas.
“We can never let the fact that we are from a little village, or a little street, on a little island hold us back from fulfilling our God-given potential. It is not where we were born that determines our destiny, but our spirit, our character, and our determination.”
