I could not sit still in the sofa and my eyes glared on the television hoping not to miss a single solitary thing as “my girls” (that’s what I call them ) brought it to the world. Yes, I am overjoyed and lets just say ecstatic as the Jamaicans blazed the trail. It was 1-2-3 if you didn’t know. Goose pimples rode my skin for other reasons. The truth is that I did not just see the ladies running towards that finishing line. I saw Jamaicans running down that track at record time. I saw us for those powerful moments feeling a level of patriotism that says we still got it and we will never lose it.
We have been through so much as a country in the last two years that we might have been wondering if we were ever going to make it. These three wonderful ladies made us aware that we can work our way through any situation. They stuck to their rigorous training and kept their mental state of mind . They had a goal and that was to reach to that finishing line. The Jamaicans blazed the trail. Their personal stories might not be out as yet as it relates to this leg of their journey but they completed it.
Elaine Thompson clocked 10.61 seconds and became the fastest woman alive and she is a Jamaican. She smashed Florence Griffith Joyner Olympic record (which was 10.62 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics) and made it seem like she could have gone a mile more. This island is blessed beyond measure.
It is with a great sense of pride and admiration that I acknowledge Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce who came in second just 13 seconds behind Elaine Thompson and Sherika Jackson who came in third with 10.76. These two ladies have also done exceptionally well (and this is an understatement). Jamaica has once again shown the world that “wi mite bi likkle but wi tallawah”
The pandemic has certainly taken its toll on us along with all the other issues. Seeing our three Jamaican ladies blazing a trail to the finishing line though made us see the strength we have as a people. It symbolizes how resilient we are as we individually look to our finishing lines. Let us continue to run our race and finish the journey purposed for our lives.