It’s a good job Cydonie Mothersill
believes in perseverance otherwise she would never have won that coveted gold
medal in the 200 metres at the Commonwealth Games last month.
Lots of athletes gave the Games in
Delhi a swerve, including Usain Bolt and many other top Jamaican sprinters, but
Mothersill felt it was her destiny to grab her first major Games gold at the
seasoned age of 32 and no negative news about the poor state of preparedness in
India was going to stop her.
She won comfortably in the end and
can now look forward to the rest of her competitive career knowing she is no
longer a ‘nearly’ woman. She’s enjoyed training a lot in Cayman for the first
time this year. Normally only spending the whole of October here, Mothersill
actually trained for much of the summer sizzling down the track at the Truman
Bodden Sports Complex. Vacations are taken to visit family in the States and
husband Ato’s homeland of Trinidad.
“Last year I didn’t make the world
championships finals and that put things into perspective a lot,” Mothersill
says. It made her decide to spend more of her training here, around familiar
and treasured things and also to get regular physiotherapy sessions.
The tangible rewards since winning
gold have included a $5,000 cash bonus from the government and a brand new,
gold Chevy Tahoe SUV from Advanced Automotive.
Mothersill has praised many of the
people who helped her along the way and special mention is always reserved for
Evelyn Rockett, who helped her to run like a rocket in her formative years.
“Miss Rockett obviously saw my
talent. She really encouraged me to come out and practice track and field. At
the time I really wasn’t feeling it. My friends Bobeth (O’Garro) and Scimone
(Campbell) they were my aces. We were the Three Musketeers. They are my true
girlfriends through thick and thin, from when I was a nobody. They would be
doing different sports and I wanted to do what they were doing, even though
they would tell me to go to practice.
“Miss Rockett was very persistent
to say the least. She would come by my house and I would try to hide. That was
so annoying. She was a nuisance, but she saw something in me. She would come to
the house and I’d plead with mum to lie for me.
“But she would tell me to go
outside because she wouldn’t lie. Obviously, at the time I didn’t think mum was
cool but that’s why it is important to have a supportive parent.
“So I came out and started
practicing. But I got my licks. Went to meets and lost. That’s why I say that
it is important not to ignore athletes now. She saw something in me but I was
by no means outstanding. I was always fourth. But track and field was my way
out. I faced challenges and problems like any other teenager. I was not going
to get pregnant, nor take drugs and I was going to finish school.
“Track was my route out and I could
see that I could get a scholarship. I didn’t get one at first, even after two
bronzes at CARIFTA in 1995 but I knew it would be forthcoming. I wanted to
leave and see the world.”
Well she’s certainly inspired not
only the next generation of athletes, but the current ones feel they can really
achieve too. Best prospect coming through is Chantelle Morrison, who won
CARIFTA gold in the 100m this year for Cayman. But like Mothersill, she picks
up a lot of injuries too.
Under coach Kenrick Williams
Cydonie won double CARIFTA gold and had the second fastest time in the world as
a junior. “Miss Rockett started me and he took over the baton from her so I’m
grateful to them both. They are two people who really played a great part in
helping me, definitely.”
Injuries hamper all professional
athletes’ lives but for Mothersill’s slight 123lbs frame it is a constant
obstacle. Not as big and robust as her rivals, so fine tuned is her body that
the slightest strain or pulled muscle can lead to being out for long periods.
Lower back and hamstring problems have been a bane too. This year she focused
on maintaining her body throughout rather than waiting for something to break
down.
Constant visits to the physio even
when nothing
serious was wrong turned out to be the right policy. She no longer trained and
raced through the pain barrier with slight niggles.
Only her left Achilles became a
problem late in the season which was never a serious hindrance although she
missed a couple of races. Spending more time training in Cayman and not Miami
helped too.
To show how significant the
Commonwealth gold was, her previous career pinnacle was doing the 100m and 200m
double at the CARIFTAS in 1996, aged 18, in Jamaica. Beating the Jamaicans in
front of their home crowd was fantastic. (Cydonie was born in Jamaica and came
here as a child.)
She also took home the Austin Sealy
award for being the Games’ best athlete. Mothersill already knew Premier
McKeeva Bush then, who was minister of sports at the time. Bush took Cydonie,
her mother, Angela, and few others to lunch. It was the first time the
government had really taken any interest in her so it was pleasing for her for
Bush to still be around for this milestone.
Sports minister Mark Scotland
recently said that he hopes to put on a meet at the Truman Bodden not just for
Cydonie but for all the other brilliant Cayman athletes who one day hope to
emulate her. “I hope it happens next year,” she gushes. “It would be perfect. I
haven’t raced at home since the CARIFTAS in 1995 and it would be wonderful not
just for me but the other Cayman athletes who don’t get a chance to compete in
front of their home fans.
“We’ve heard of Ronald Forbes,
Michael Letterlough, the twins Carl and Carlos Morgan but there are many
others.”
She doesn’t just want the
professional athletes to be showcased but also the ones like David Hamil and
Robert Ibeh who have regular jobs but still have to find the time and energy to
train and compete at the highest level. Jon Rankin could be the next Caymanian
to win a major medal. Until recently the world class middle-distance runner was
competing for the US. He is now officially a Caymanian and hopes to repay the
faith shown by the government and the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee with
medals.
Already back in training,
Mothersill is focused on preparing for the Central American and Caribbean Games
and Pan American Games next year as well as the world championships in Daegu,
South Korea. She thought about the world indoor championships early in the new
year to help improve her starts but the lateness of the Commonwealth Games
prevented that.
Ato helped more than even before.
He is an athlete too. “It’s not easy when you’re working with your husband but
a lot of my success this year came from him. The changes that we did and some
of my bad technique like coming round the curve and swinging my arms, he helped
with. Just tweaking some little things. It absolutely made a difference. I’m
also not freaking out at the start if a girl beside me got away faster because
I know I’m stronger.”
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