By Charo R. Walker
BlackFood.org News Reporter
CHRIS Brown silenced all naysayers this month when he won gold at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar. A few years ago he pulled a hamstring at a major event while running his leg of the 4×400m relay event. Bahamians were livid and Brown got the reputation as someone who wasn’t capable of finishing. He also got the cold shoulder.
But his die-hard fans never dismissed him and, somehow, always “knew” that he would give the world something to talk about. On March 13th he did just that when he won gold in the 400m with a time of 45.96 seconds; bringing home The Bahamas’ only medal.
In truth, his performance comes as no surprise to those who have been following his career. Brown, who specializes in the 400m, tied the national record in that event in 2007. He also won a gold medal in the 400m at the Pan Am Games that year. In 2006 and 2008 he won bronze medals in the 400m at the World Indoor Championships.
He has won four World Championships medals, gold, silver and two bronze, in the 4×100m relay event. At the 2007 Pan Am Games he won gold as a member of the men’s national 4×100m relay team and in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics he also won a silver medal as part of the team.
A track standout at Norfolk State University, he established school records that, today, still stand.
With this recent gold medal, Brown has become one of a select group of three-medal winners in the history of the World Indoors and only the second Bahamian with three individual medals from the World Indoor Championships.
BlackFood.org congratulates Chris “Fireman” Brown on his victory!♦bf