Tommy Robinson was the man of the occasion on Wednesday past during the handover ceremony of the new $30 million national stadium from the People's Republic of China to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre. Rightly, this should be the case. On a number of occasions in this column over the years, I have emphasized the defining moment of track and field in this country and indeed sports, when Robinson was the lone Bahamian representative at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales. Yes, the Bahamian Delegation was inclusive of Thomas Augustus Robinson alone. He had to be the Chef de Mission, the Team Manager, take care of his training preparation personally and make his own connections for physical therapy (that which was available at the time) during the rounds of the 100 and 220 yards events. It was a monumental task for any single individual. Yet, he won the first two medals for The Bahamas in Commonwealth Games history. He captured the 220 and placed second in the 100 yards. Robinson had many other achievements that brought glory to The Bahamas but at Cardiff in 1958, his crowning accomplishments had much to do with the honor bestowed upon him in the naming of one of the finest sporting facilities in the Caribbean region, in his honor. The Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium is now a reality. Let's remember also though, in this glowing period of our history, others who attained significant milestones in track and field. Firstly, Charlie Major Sr. must be recognized at this time. He was the first Bahamian standout international performer in track and field. The high jump was his specialty and he set the national record of 6' 8" back in the early 1930s and from the late 1920s until he retired, he beat the best the world had to offer. Among his victims was the 1924 Olympic gold medal winner in the high jump, American Harold Osborn. Major was one of the dominating athletes in the United States while competing for St. Bonaventure University and won his share of national titles. In 1957, the first medal in track and field was captured for The Bahamas. Robinson, Enoch Backford, Tom Grant and Oscar Francis won bronze in the 4x100 relay at the West Indies Federation Games. Then, there is Danny Smith. During the 1970s, he was one of the world's best high hurdlers. He tied the world 50 meters (m) hurdles record and stands today, along with Robinson (300 meters (m) record) as the only Bahamians with world records attached to their names. We must never forget Frank Rutherford. In 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics, he pioneered the Bahamian Olympic medal successes. His bronze medal in the triple jump began a string of consecutive medals for The Bahamas on the Olympic Games' stage that continues to this day. In 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics, the Original Golden Girls (Pauline Davis, Chandra Sturrup, Savetheda Fynes, Eldece Clarke and Debbie Ferguson) won the sprint relay silver medal. The Golden Girls struck again in 2000, winning gold at the Sydney Olympics. In 2004, the 'mighty mite' Tonique Williams-Darling won Olympic gold in the 400m and Golden Girl Ferguson won the 200m bronze. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the string continued when Leevan Sands won the triple jump bronze. Troy Kemp and Donald Thomas have won world championships in the high jump; the Golden Girls won a world championship in the sprint relay; and Avard Moncur and Williams-Darling won world titles in the 400m. Let's be sure to remember those aforementioned track and field icons as we begin a new sports chapter with a state-of-the-art track and field facility named the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. (To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at frobertsturrup@gmail.com)

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