BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - SUNDAY (Aug. 25) marked 10 years since Kim Collins’ greatest achievement; the day when he became a World Champion after winning the Men’s 100 metres in Paris, France in 2003.
His victory brought positive global attention to the twin-island Federation, but how has the sport developed since?
In an interview with SKNVibes, Public Relations Officer of the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletic Association (SKNAAA) Evris Huggins stated that Collins’ triumph created a synergy and a buzz in the sport that trickled down to the younger athletes.
“What Kim Collins did in 2003, no one can take it back. He is a champion and he was a stalwart. Since the emergence of Kim Collins in 2003, there was a synergy that was created in the sport. There was a buzz around St. Kitts and Nevis and I think that has riffled down to our youth and junior athletes.”
Huggins added that Collins was responsible for inspiring a number of athletes which led to the emergence of many young ones.
“He was responsible for inspiring and motivating a number of athletes who are now making their contribution to the success that we have seen at the development meets and our major local championships, such as the TDC Inter-School Championships and the Rams Primary School Championships.
“We have now seen a number of elite athletes on the horizon. We have seen the emergence of people such as Jason Rogers, Antoine Adams, Brijesh Lawrence, Alistair Clarke and Delwayne Delaney, among others.”
He also mentioned the infrastructure that the Federation was able to develop and highlighted how the sport has expanded.
“Also, we were able to get an IAAF certified synthetic track at the Silver Jubilee Stadium, where our athletes can now qualify for major championships right here in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“We have also seen where our sport expanded to include the field events as some of the spectacular events to look forward to by athletes from St. Kitts and Nevis instead of just the traditional sprints. We have moved in leaps and bounds since Kim Collins’ triumph.”
When asked if he feels St. Kitts and Nevis can have another World Champion, Huggins said: “Of course! I mean we have two guys who are very close to breaking the 10-second barrier. We have one guy who is also very close to breaking the sub-20-second barrier.
“We just had a National Junior Record in the Men’s 200 metres by Rico Gumbs. He broke Whitley Williams’ record and he has also done a sub-21 for the year and he is a junior athlete.”
He further stated that based on the potentials identified in the junior ranks, the future of the sport in the Federation is bright.
“Based on what we are seeing from the Youth and Junior Programmes and based on the academies and the squads and the mandate the SKNAAA is carrying out now in athletics, we can see nothing more than success in the future.
“The foundation is there and it is a work in progress, and we will continue to develop until we get it right. When you look at the World Championships that has just completed, we were able to advance to Semi-Finals in every single event that we participated in.
“Semi-Finals mean that we are within the top 24 in the world for those respective events. I think we are moving in the right direction and, with the synergies of the SKNAAA Executive with the support of the SKNOC and the Coaching Association, I think we can berth more champions in the future.”
Even now at age 37, Collins continues to ply his trade and has surpassed his personal best just this year running 9.97seconds, which is also a National Record.
Collins’ achievements as an athlete have made him a National Hero in the eyes of countless citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis.
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