Photo : Bobby Gaye Wilkins- Gooden
Former Holmwood Technical standout, Bobby Gaye Wilkins- Gooden has shrugged off all the disappointments of the last four seasons and hopes to fulfill her dream of becoming the star athlete, at the senior level.
She led the Maroon and Gold clad ladies of Holmwood to an emphatic victory at “Champs” in her last year during high school, in 2008.
Her Personal Best times to date stands at : 400m – 50.87, 800m – 2.04.87.
Her first major international appearance came as a schoolgirl at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics, where she reached the final of the 400 metres. Other achievements listed on her track resume from regional and international competitions are, Bronze medalist, in 4x400m relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and Gold at North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 Championships in Toluca, Mexico 2007.
Wilkins-Gooden has also claimed silver medals at the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, 2006 and double gold in 2007 at the CAC games in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. She also landed double gold medal winner in the Under-20 Carifta Games 800m and 4x400m relay in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe 2006.
After her first Olympic Games, she rejoined forces with her high school coach Maurice Wilson at his Sprint Tech track club based at G.C. Foster College, to continue her higher education and track career, after gaining a scholarship grant from aluminium giants Windalco.
Her career took a wrong turn after competing at the 2010 world indoor championship where she was a semifinalist in the 400m and a member of the 4×400 meter relay squad which included sisters, Clora and Novlene Williams and Davita Prendegast, who together set a national indoor record of 3:28:49 for third place. The team was later disqualified after a sample taken from Wilkins returned a positive result for andarine – a selective androgen receptor modulator.
She was subsequently handed a two year ban from competitive athletics by the governing body of athletics in Jamaica, the Jamaica Atheltics Administrative Association (JAAA).
The reality of that event left her devastated and had it not been for the help and support of her family and friends she would have pulled the strings on her career.
“It (drug ban) was really hard for me, I was actually at a breaking point and I didn’t think I would come back but I had the support of my husband who has been very supportive and I really have to give God thanks for him and those close to me like my family and real friends,” Wilkins opened up to The Gleaner.
She joined forces with Glen Mills at the Racers Track Club after returning home in 2011 when her ban was lifted. She said her focus then was to get back in shape and hopefully continue to do herself and family proud.
Three years later she is reaping the benefits and is steadily returning to competitiveness after she was selected to represent the country at the just concluded, 1st APA Pan American Olympic festival in Mexico. She pocketed the Bronze medal in the women’s quarter mile event behind her teammate and champion Anastasia Le-Roy.
She was very much elated and happy with her season’s best time of 51.84s. She looks to continue on her way back to the top, and allow her performances in the seasons to answer the questions raised by the poet in the poem Rising from the ashes – How long lord ? How long oh Lord, must I wait Before I see the end of this dark night?…
But in the Words of the Poet Dean Dbard, we say to our Champion and future star..
Rising from the ashes, you spread your wings to fly…There will be times of doubt, and moments of pure sorrow.But one thing that is ever true, you’re the angel of tomorrow.
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