There was no big celebration, little of the pomp and circumstance that existed when the Golden Girls returned home after their stunning victory in 2000.
But the welcome was just as warm and the crowd just as excited, as Tonique Williams-Darling, Debbie Ferguson, Mark Knowles and 11 other Bahamian athletes returned home yesterday to a tremendous show of “Bahamian spirit”.
(Actually, Tennis Grand Slam Champion Knowles and men’s 4×400 relay runner Nathaniel McKinney were already in town but they showed up anyway, boarded the plane and descended again with the other athletes.)
With all that these athletes have given to their country with their excellence in sports and sportmanship, one of the first things out of the mouths of team captains, Dennis Darling and Jackie Edwards, was an announcemrent that the athletes will provide a “small donation” of their earnings to the Hurricane Relief fund when they visit the House of Assembly on Wednesday.
Despite the pummeling by two recent hurricanes, Bahamians from all walks of life showed up on the tarmac of Nassau International Airport and packed the VIP lounge as the austere “Welcome Home” celebrations began.
