Robert Esmie

I had the chance today to spend a little time with Robert Esmie and to watch a tape of him blasting off at the Atlanta games. If you don't recall, he was the fifth runner on the Canadian 4x100 relay - the substitute. The night before the finals, he was told they needed him not just to run, but to lead them off. He shaved his head leaving the words "blast off" embossed in large letters. I don't know if you remember, but I do.
I spent that summer in Trinidad as the guest of a friend. I remember the 100 meter final first. My friend is Trinidadian and so his eyes, and every set of eyes in the room really, were locked on Ato Boldon. The only network we could pick up was American and so the camera was focused on the man in stars and stripes. While I, the lone Canadian, kept an eye on Bailey. Off the mark, it looked as if Bailey was out. He was far back at 20 meters and I was disappointed. This was the chance to erase some of the Ben Johnson scandal and it was slipping away. They were ecstatic. It looked to be a race between Ato and Frankie Fredericks of Namibia. The entire island was leaning forward watching, trying to push Ato faster.
At sixty meters, I was a believer again as Bailey poured it on, gaining ground with every stride. When he finally passed them in a blur and flew across the line. I was screaming and the rest of the island was quiet. Not that they weren't proud of Ato and his bronze medal, but they just never even saw Bailey coming. Their eyes never left Ato and Frankie's neck and neck race.
The network was shocked as well. No American in the medals. What should they talk about? They weren't prepared.
So even though I was still the sole Canuck, when the Canadians came to the line for the 4 x 100, everyone around me believed they could do it. They could beat the Americans. 'Don't count they out until the last second', they were saying. All I was hoping was for it to be close at the last leg. Esmie was young, Gilbert was unknown, Surin hadn't run well in the semi finals and that left Bailey to close the gap. A good start could make the difference.
When Esmie unveiled his haircut - Blast Off. I believed it could be done. Hearing him today talk about that moment and the cameras focusing in on that statement and how he felt electrified by the event, the attention, and the people, brought me right back to the little living room in blistering Trinidad. I moved to the edge of the couch waiting for the starters gun and when it went, didn't Esmie explode. The race of his life. Gilbert stretched himself and Surin knew before Bailey that we'd won. We'd beat the Americans on their own soil at the event they had never lost. Thanks Robert - what a blast.