DRIVEN BY a desire to do her country proud, Veronica Campbell became the first Jamaican female to win an Olympic Games sprint gold medal with a powerful performance in the 200 metres finals at the Athens Games in Greece yesterday.
And her grateful compatriots from every nook and cranny across the country responded with shouts of elation, basking in the glory that is not only hers but ours as well.
Even in Greece, the joyful scenes of Jamaicans celebrating Campbell's wonderful achievement were evident from footage shown of her teammates strutting their stuff in the Olympic village.
It took the 22-year-old former Vere Technical athlete 22.05 seconds a personal best to win a gold medal that had proven to be so elusive for so long.
Just days earlier, Campbell had faced the starter in the 100 metres final and based on earlier displays, seemed on track for the prime medal. However, she stumbled from the start and never recovered fully to fulfil her dream, and that of her compatriots and the extended Caribbean family. Nonetheless, she ran her heart out to claim the bronze medal behind Belarus' Yuliya Nesterenko and American silver medallist, Lauryn Williams.
But Campbell used the loss positively and made her people a big promise that she would win the 200 metres gold medal. She said: "I want to hear the national anthem of Jamaica played inside the Athens Stadium at these Olympic Games. I've been dreaming all my life to get an individual Olympic medal and today I did it. I'm very proud. I'm very happy."
Like many others who have donned the green, gold and black colours at previous Games and this 28th staging of the modern Olympiad, Jamaican athletes have and continue to do the country proud, even where, like Powell in the 100 metre sprints, our quarter-milers or female hurdlers, they miss winning individual medals.
In more recent times, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert and the legendary Merlene Ottey came close while copping silver. The part they played in maintaining a great sprint tradition helped to motivate this daughter of Trelawny who had long established herself as a true champion and world-class competitor.
Obviously, she has mastered the art of transforming failure into success. She has done well because she has followed the time-honoured formula for success hard work, discipline and maintaining focus.
It would be wonderful if Jamaicans here and abroad, who have been lifted by this tremendous gold medal achievement, take a leaf from Campbell's book and be inspired to do good for their country. We just might find it a little easier to achieve our goals as well.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
