Sports
Double World Championship 400m Medalist Sada Williams Receives Government Recognition and Reward
Bajan track star Sada Williams was celebrated by the government with a monetary reward, a life-size cutout, and a billboard at the Grantley Adams International Airport after her impressive performances and World Championship bronze medals. The government's gesture shows their support for the athlete, but the question remains if the private sector will follow suit. Other Barbadian athletes, such as cricketer Hayley Matthews and draughts player Suki King, have also achieved notable successes. It is important to reward and support these talented individuals to inspire future generations of athletes in Barbados.
5 min read
Originally published by barbadostoday.bb (opens in new tab)
It was a second celebration and the first on home soil for double World Championship 400m bronze medalist Sada Williams on Wednesday when the Government rewarded the track star for her outstanding performances.
Sada received a cheque for $150 000 from Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw and Minister of Sports Charles Griffith. Added to that, a life-size cutout and a billboard depicting the athlete were also unveiled inside and outside of the Grantley Adams International Airport. The eye-catching graphics will greet passengers entering and exiting the airport.
The Bajan sensation warmed our hearts and won her second World Athletics Championships bronze medal in Budapest, Hungary. She finished third in 49.60 seconds, narrowly behind Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek who was second in 49.57 seconds and champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic who crossed the finish line in 48.76 seconds.
Days before, she broke the national record that she set last year when she ran 49.58 seconds behind Kaczmarek.
Sada is the reigning Commonwealth Games 400m champion. She is now the third-ranked female 400m athlete in the world. In the end-of-season world rankings released by World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics, Sada secured that position with 1381 points.
Sada has truly done great credit to our nation as she continues to blaze a trail of track and field success. It was also heartening to read her coach Jamaican Paul Francis say that a medal, gold to be exact, is likely when Sada competes in the 2024 Olympic Games.
He said: “Gold is a realistic goal.” It is very apparent that the best is yet to come.
The Bajan track queen is just 25 years old; therefore, with the right training routine and mental determination, which she clearly has, more celebratory moments are certainly on the horizon. She is deserving of all the accolades we can afford her, monetary or otherwise.
The Government must be lauded for this gesture. It certainly shows that the administration has listened to the cries of the people and acted accordingly.
It was November last year when irate Bajans voiced their concerns about the fact that Sada’s name was not included in the annual National Honours list. It became the hotbed of debate on social media and the call-in programmes.
The issue even garnered regional attention. Caribbean sports channel SportsMax carried a story headlined: 2022 World Championship 400m bronze medallist Sada Williams left out of Barbados’ Independence Awards.
