BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC– The Silver Jubilee stadium has been renamed after World Champion sprinter Kim Collins.
Deputy Prime Minister Shawn Richards, who is also Sports Minister, made the announcement on Collins’ 39th birthday at the height of the 44th CARIFTA Games here over the Easter weekend.
“We are celebrating a young man whose life represents the true values of St Kitts and Nevis,” Harris announced.
“The values of hard work, sacrifice, persistence, preparation, humility, and consistency have been the catalyst as well as the driving force behind this young man’s success”.
Collins represented St. Kitts and Nevis at the Summer Olympics on four occasions between 1996 and 2008 and is the first national to reach the finals.
Deputy Prime Minister Richards described Collins’ career as a phenomenon that should be celebrated, and added that the sprinter’s legacy will prove to be a unifying force for the people of the federation.
“Kim Collins exemplifies the talented and driven nature of our people. He exudes the tremendous will to succeed that characterized our ancestors. 20 years at the top of any activity much less a grueling sport like World Athletics where the career span is often less than ten years is phenomenal,” Richards pointed out.
“Kim has persevered and broken all physical and social barriers that may have been placed for athletes and more significantly, Caribbean athletes. No more can the world of athletics declare that a 38-year-old sprinter cannot beat the world.”
The St. Kitts and Nevis athlete has also competed at eight editions of the World Championships between 1997 and 2011.
His many accomplishments include winning the 100-metre championship at the 2002 Commonwealth Games with a run of 9.98 seconds.
“When I became World Champion, people did not understand we did not have a surface here in St. Kitts and Nevis, but that did not stop me,” said Collins while thanking the government of Prime Minister Timothy Harris.
“I say thank you to the government and the people, not the idea of thinking about it but those who actually went out and said Kim Collins, we are going to name this stadium after you.”
