Fresh off their win in the Men’s 4x400m Relay in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, four Bahamian athletes dubbed the Golden Knights met their team sponsor, BOB, today and walked away with cash in their pockets to complement the gold medals around their necks.
It was as much a meeting to remember for bank executives as it was for the four-man team who stole a country’s heart as they passed the baton and with grit, determination and a flash of speed, flew past the last remaining frontrunner to take Gold in the relay.
“You made an entire nation proud,” said BOB Deputy Managing Director Vaughn Delaney. “We watched each of you Chris, Demetrius, Michael and Ramon, with our hearts in our throats and our hopes in you — and you delivered. We at BOB are proud to deliver to you in return, as we promised, keeping our commitment of a $10,000 sponsorship for the Men’s 4×400 Relay Team and an appeal that raised another $2,000.”
Gold medalists Chris Brown, Ramon Miller, Demetrius Pinder and Michael Matthieu were on hand for the presentation along with BAAA’s President Mike Sands and 1st Vice President Shervin Stuart.
“Just as important as our commitment to support the team with a $10,000 contribution, we spearheaded a drive to raise money for the team and the BAAA’s organizing efforts,” said Delaney. “We wanted each of you to know you were not out there alone. You had an entire country behind you, cheering you on.”
On July 13, when BOB announced the partnership with the BAAAs for the Men’s 4x400m Relay Team, Deputy Managing Director Hubert Edwards told the media: “There’s a good chance that every one of us remembers exactly where we were and how we felt when we watched or heard of the Golden Girls winning Gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. We felt so much national pride you’d have thought we had run the race ourselves. Now we have an outstanding team in the Men’s 4×400 Relay event and we want to send them off to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics with the knowledge that The Bahamas is rooting for them and cheering them on with national spirit, energy and enthusiasm.”
On August 10, the team ran the relay in 2:56:72, setting a new national record and beating the U.S. which ran it in 2:57:05.
Stuart, who in addition to serving as a BAAAs executive coaches track, thanked the bank for the sponsorship.
“It meant so much to all of us, and especially to the team, that an award-winning bank like BOB put its faith in what they believed had the talent and drive to be an award-winning track team,” said Stuart. “It gave us that extra boost and we are very grateful.”
BOB, with branches throughout The Bahamas, has won numerous awards, including being named best bank in the country several times by the prestigious financial publication Euromoney and by the highly respected magazine, The Banker, part of the Financial Times Group.
By Diane Phillips & Associates
Caption: Award-winning bank rewards medal-winning athletes – Pictured l-r: Wellington Miller, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee; Demetrius Pinder, Chris Brown; Vaughn Delaney, Deputy Managing Director BOB; Dr. Daniel Johnson, Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture; Michael Matthieu, Ramon Miller & Mike Sands, president BAAA’s. (Photo by Derek Smith Jr. for DP&A.)
