Keisha Shakespeare, Freelance Writer
Hemmings McCatty jogging with her son, Mikhail. The lighter stroller makes.00 it easy for her to push while jogging. - PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL STEWART
SHE CREATED history when she became the first Jamaican female athlete to win a gold medal at the 400 metre hurdles in the 1996 Olympic Games. Since then, she has taken on a new hurdle - marriage and motherhood.
In June last year, Deon Hemmings McCatty reached another finish line with marriage to Michael McCatty. This year, she won an even bigger prize, son, Mikhail McCatty.
Since the birth of her son nine months ago, she has been enjoying life as a mother. Though the first month of motherhood was not as smooth as she thought it would be, currently things are going well.
ADORABLE AND SWEET
"In the first month, Mikhail never slept at nights, he cried a lot and I had to stay up all night. However, now he is so adorable and sweet. The only time he wakes up in the nights is when he's ill," said Mrs. Hemmings McCatty.
Though she has retired from track and field, the desire to be athletic and healthy remains with her and she seems to be passing this on to her infant son. In fact, she has started him on the way to a healthy lifestyle from infancy. Two days per week, she takes him down to a field near her home where they jog together for 90 minutes. Mikhail sits in a stroller that is lighter than the regular ones making it easier for the champion hurdler to push while they jog.
LOST ALL THE BABY FAT
Mrs. Hemmings McCatty said that through exercise and proper diet she has already lost all the fat she gained during pregnancy and is currently back to her original weight. She said that she knew that after she retired she wanted to maintain her weight so she runs religiously at least twice per week, because it keeps her relaxed.
Juggling motherhood, being a wife plus her job as a real estate agent, Mrs. Hemmings McCatty said it requires her to be more responsible, but it gives her a great feeling of accomplishment. For her, being a mother takes a lot, but the end justifies the means.
"It feels great to know that when you go home there is someone waiting for you. I feel blessed to have a wonderful, happy and healthy child. This makes me want to do more to make him happy."
Mrs. Hemmings McCatty said that she had her son at the perfect time, because when she is not at the office she spends all her spare time with him.
