Felix Sanchez: Inspiration of 2012

That which first impressed us about this 400m hurdles specialist is his commitment to the Caribbean region. Born in New York City to Dominican parents, Sanchez was raised by his grandmother in San Diego, California, where he went to University City High School and San Diego Mesa College. He then went on to study psychology at the University of Southern California (USC) and competed for the Trojans there. He was a Pac-10 champion (400m hurdles) and All-American relay champion (1600m) in 1999. Born in 1977, the full-blooded Dominican and proud Latino, who took up track in 1995, at an age rather late for most junior runners, always wanted to compete for the Dominican Republic (DR). However, as he noted, that country was not even on the map as far as track and field went. So there were no contact numbers or federation to call to help him realize his dream. Like a stroke of luck though, in 1999 a La Opinion reporter featured him when he broke a 23-yr-old record at a USC-UCLA track meet. It was that reporter who told his story to an influential Dominican sports personality, and the connection was made for him to compete for the DR at the Pan Am Games. That’s when his journey to success began. Between 2001 and 2004, Sanchez won 43 races in a row before winning gold at the Athens Olympics. He remained at the top of his profession, until he sustained injuries and his form deteriorated. The defending Olympic champ then failed to make the 2008 Beijing Olympic final after hearing that his grandmother died. He was devastated by the loss. Yet the highly determined and competitive Sanchez never gave up. As if with a vengeance, he came back at age 35 with renewed vigor, a plan and a promise to his grandmother – whose photo he carried behind his bib and name on his spikes – and stormed to victory in the 400m hurdles final in London. While images of the crying gold medalist on the podium will long be remembered, his fortitude and Olympic victory should serve as major inspiration to those who may think they are not good enough to win or that their time has passed. His choice to run for the land of his roots, even though the financial gains may be nowhere near what he could have been raking in representing the US, is the epitome of national pride and patriotism.