#BTEditorial – Congrats to Sada; Time to see more athletes on the podium

As Barbados continues to write its name on history’s page, there are some days that bring out the ‘Proud Bajan’. Such was the case on Wednesday. Thousands of us were glued to televisions and other devices around 3:30 p.m. to see our star athlete Sada Williams in action.

The Barbadian quarter-miler won her second World Athletics Championships bronze medal in Budapest, Hungary. She finished third in 49.60 seconds, narrowly behind Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek who was second in 49.57 seconds and champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic who crossed the finish line in 48.76 seconds.

On Sunday, Williams broke the national record that she set last year when she ran 49.58 seconds behind Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek.
The previous national record of 49.75 seconds was set in 2022 at the championships in Eugene, Oregon when Williams won a bronze medal behind Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Paulino of the Dominican Republic.

Sada is now the greatest female athlete this country has ever seen.

It was back in 2021 when she finished third place in the 400m final of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League Athletic Championships in Zürich, Switzerland. Since then, she has won two bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships and gold at the Commonwealth Games, in 2022. She also became the record holder at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was the first woman to clock under 50 seconds in the history of the meet.

In Eugene, Oregon, Williams clocked 49.75 seconds, a new national record, against the best quarter-milers in the world, and then backed up this performance with 49.90 seconds in Birmingham. No woman in Barbados has ever done this.
Sada has elevated the country to new heights in the athletics sphere.

The 25-year-old has done great credit to sports and, by extension, her country. We all bask in her achievements, and rightly so. We congratulate Sada. As she approached the home stretch, we all saw her dig deep to cross the finish line and claim a place on the podium. We do not take her efforts or what she has accomplished lightly. We are well aware that she could only reach where she is now, on the world stage, with great discipline, determination and sacrifice. Therefore, we celebrate that with her.

At the same time as we toast Sada, we still feel compelled to ask: When will others join her? When will we have more than one athlete in the finals at a World Championships or Olympic Games? When will we be in a position to take a contingent of athletes that go the distance and medal? When will we hear the National Anthem played multiple times at worldclass meets? We are grateful for what we have done thus far. But, in every instance, when it comes to medalling, the athlete of the day stands like a lone ranger.

In 1998, Andrea Blackett was alone at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. In 2000, Obadele Thompson was alone at the Sydney Olympics. In 2009, Ryan Brathwaite was alone at the World Championships in Berlin.

In 2014, Akela Jones was alone at the World Junior Championships in Oregon. Sada was alone on Wednesday in Budapest. The truth is, our athletes need company. They need their countrymen to experience what they experience, to endure what they endure, to enjoy what they enjoy.

We often turn to Jamaica, the Caribbean athletic powerhouse. Many wonder how Jamaica, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and others manage to take groups of athletes and be fortunate enough to take home multiple medals. It is a fair comparison since, for the most part, we all face similar challenges as small island developing states.

However, Jamaica continues to succeed and has dominated the sprints – both men and women – in recent years. Jamaican athletes are never alone.
Usain Bolt was not alone. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is not alone. Elaine Thompson-Herah is not alone.

We can never underestimate the power of a team in sport. While the race is an individual race, when it comes to training and preparing, mentally and physically, athletes need each other. Barbados must get to the stage where we add to these single medals. We must pool all resources from the Government and private sector to ensure we invest in Bajan athletes. Barbados must produce more quality athletes. We must take team members with potential. We must ensure that the weight of an entire nation to succeed does not rest squarely on the shoulders of any single athlete. This is a burden that must be shared.

We are a year away from the 2024 Olympics, so that may be a tall order.

However, we have to start even without a national stadium or a place for athletes to call home. The longest journey starts with a step. We must act now. We need more star athletes. After all, it’s lonely at the top.