Monique Smith and her husband Kerry were given the experience of a lifetime as the duo packed their bags and left their home in the St. Lina area to take in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
For the past year and a half, the Smiths had been planning the European getaway mainly because of the Olympics, Monique explained in an email from London to the Journal. Kerry’s cousin was supposed to be competing in the women’s hammer throw for Canada, and her husband, Kibwe Johnson, was supposed to be on the U.S. team for the hammer throw, she explains.
However, Kibwe and his wife, Crystal, welcomed a baby girl in April, and Crystal was unable to continue her training. So, the Smiths went to show their support for Kibwe and spend some quality time with the new baby in the family.
One of the events the couple took in was the men’s 100-metre race on Aug. 5. In the email, Monique says she and her husband managed to get these tickets, thanks to Kerry’s cousin. The couple had secured other tickets previously, after putting their names into the Olympic lottery, over a year ago.
The tickets for Sunday cost the couple nearly $400, “but it was worth it,” says Monique. She explains that she and her husband were seated with many of the parents of U.S. athletes, making the experience quite exciting.
“I was next to the mother of steeple chase runner Evan Jagar, and a little further was Kibwe's dad and brother. Kerry was next to three sets of parents, all runners, including Justin Gatlin, who ended up with 3rd in the 100-metre,” says Monique.
She says the 100-metre race was “electrifying.” The cheering was very loud in the stadium, especially when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s name was announced. Then, it got totally silent as runners prepared at the starting line, only to abrupt in loud cheers again as the race began.
Monique recalls that even “the floor was shaking.” Sadly, the place cleared out after the 100-metre race, even though there were other events still taking place.
Monique and Kerry also had tickets for Monday’s events, and although she didn’t think the day could be more exciting than Sunday, it was.
“The crowd was pumped again. There was so much anticipation for the medal ceremony for the men’s 100-metre. Everyone wanted to see and be in the presence of Usain Bolt again,” says Monique.
She says it was an emotional moment when Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic broke down on the podium. Sanchez was the winner of the men’s 400-metre hurdles. The whole stadium gave him a standing ovation, says Monique.
“As far as London goes, it's been great, people are friendly, lots of volunteers to assist you and answer questions. I was worried about security, but it's great. I am confident that they are doing a top-notch job to ensure everyone’s safety,” writes Monique.
The experience has been so great that Kerry and Monique are already considering taking in the next round of Summer Olympics in Brazil in 2016, especially if Crystal competes, says Monique.
