BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - Today comes sandwiched between Kim Collins Day (Aug. 25) and August 27th, the start of the World Championships in Daegu, Korea. Kim is presently in Daegu, Korea for his 5th World Championships along with four other Kittitians, Delwayne Delaney, Antoine Adams, Jason Rogers and Brijesh Lawrance.
As we send best wishes to Kim and the entire team, we recall the great achievements of this son of the soil thus far.
Summary of his achievements:
Collins made his debut at major championship at the 1997 World Championships, where he failed to qualify for the second round in the 100 m. He improved quickly, and at the 2000 Summer Olympics, he became the first athlete from his nation to qualify for an Olympic final, finishing 7th in the 100 m. The next year, Collins would win St. Kitts' first World Championship medal, when he tied for the bronze medal in the 200 m.
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he won his first major title when he won gold. Collins was featured on a set of two stamps from St Kitts issued in 2002.
The 100 m at the 2003 World Championships (sometimes called the "World's Fastest Man" competition) became the biggest triumph of his career. Collins won and became the first World Champion from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
At the 2005 World Championships, Collins claimed a bronze medal in the 100 m.
Finishing fourth in his heat, Collins qualified for the finals in the men's 200 m race in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished in sixth place on 20 August 2008.
He competed at the 2009 World Championships and reached the quarter-finals of the competition, but he was eliminated after finishing in fourth place.
He announced his retirement from international athletics in September in 2009, bringing an end to a career that spanned almost 17 years.
Seeing that his body was in good condition, Collins returned to athletics on 29 January 2011 at the Aviva International Match in Glasgow, reversing his retirement at the age of 34, and he finished fourth in the 200 metres.
After experiencing a good week of training, he took a win at the Russian Winter Meeting in Moscow.
He surprised with a 60 m personal best and national record of 6.52 seconds to win at the PSD Bank Meeting in Düsseldorf, overhauling his best mark which he had set nearly eleven years earlier.
That time did not stand for as long, however, as he ran 6.50 seconds in the heats of the BW-Bank Meeting a few days later.
With Kim’s help, the St. Kitts Relay Team is now ranked 12th in the whole world. SKNVibes wishes them every success as they carry the country’s flag in Daegu, Korea next week.
Source: Wikipedia
