Arguably the greatest sporting icon in the history of Bahamian athletics will be laid to rest today, following a state recognized funeral at Christ Church Cathedral. Thomas Augustus Robinson, who passed away last week Sunday at the age of 74 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer, certainly paved the way for thousands of young Bahamian athletes to excel on the road to success. One of those such athletes, Chris 'The Fireman' Brown, is a of a firm belief that what Robinson was able to do during the 50s and 60s such as participating in four successive Olympic Games and making an Olympic final, is on par to Bahamian athletes winning Olympic medals today. "Well, he did as a one-man team and that is what makes it so remarkable," said Brown yesterday.
"Back then he was the only person out there doing it, and he did it for all of us. What it caused, is that a lot more people started paying attention to athletics, and what we as a small country could achieve through athletics. A lot of young people became involved in athletics. He definitely paved the way for all of us. Someone else would have come along and been the first if it wasn't for him, but had it not been for Mr. Robinson, I think that a lot of athletes who were directly behind him would have been lost because he directly influenced them. You cannot overstate what he did for athletics in The Bahamas." It was only fitting that Robinson, a true national hero, received his flowers while he was still alive.
He was recognized on a number of occasions, particularly by the 'Friends of Tommy A. Robinson' Committee in 2009, and had two national stadiums named in his honor, the most recent of which was where his body was laid out for public viewing over the past two days. In athletics, he was best known for his double medal performance as a one-man team at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales - bronze in the 100 yards and gold in the 220 yards. He was the first Bahamian to win an international medal with his 100 meters (m) bronze at the 1957 West Indian Federation Games in Kingston, Jamaica. Post-retirement, even up to the time of his death, Robinson was still actively involved in the sporting landscape of this country.
He most recently served as chairman of the National Stadium Committee and was present as the guest of honor at its official opening in February of this year. "His contributions to sports development are endless. He helped in so many ways," said Brown. "I just want to extend condolences to his family and friends in their time of sorrow. Mr. Robinson had God in his life so it was always a blessing to receive advice from him. He just seemed to touch people on and off the track. Also, he took care of his family. I think we need more positive role models like Mr. Robinson in this country.
We as adults try to keep a lot of the young men in the country on the straight and narrow path, and Mr. Tommy Robinson was a pacesetter for that as well. When you look at the country now, and see in excess of 100 murders, there is definitely a need for more persons like Mr. Robinson to step up and create a positive path for others to follow." Brown himself was not a direct beneficiary of Robinson in terms of his work regiment and training, but he said that he was truly inspired by what Robinson was able to accomplish and the teachings and sound advice he provided.
"Just being able to be around him and see the path that he had already paved for others to follow was an inspiration for me," said Brown. "It was always a joy communicating with him. He was always very positive, constantly letting me know that if you believe in it and can conceive it, then you can definitely achieve it. That right there played a very important part for me." Robinson accomplished a number of other historic firsts for the country.
He was the first Bahamian to compete in four successive Olympic Games, 1956-68, the first Bahamian to make an Olympic final on the track (1964 in Tokyo, Japan), the first Bahamian set a world record (300m indoors in 1964 in Saskatoon, Canada), the first Bahamian to receive an athletic scholarship to a major National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institution (1957 at the University of Michigan where he won nine Big 10 titles), and the first Bahamian to win an international gold medal (220 yards gold at 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games) just to name a few. His state recognized funeral is set for 11 a.m. at Christ Church Cathedral, where Prime Minister Perry Christie is expected to deliver a state tribute.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
