A gold for country of his heritage
ATHENS — He was born in New York and raised in Southern California. But Felix Sanchez always felt the Dominican Republic in his heart.
His parents were born there. A Dominican flag always hung in his home. And he knew competing for the tiny Caribbean nation would mean more to him, his family and the people there than if he was just another hurdler for the United States.
So Sanchez decided to represent the Dominican Republic in 1999. On Thursday night, he gave the country its first Olympic gold medal with his victory in the 400-meter hurdles, winning in 47.63 seconds to keep his three-year unbeaten streak alive.
Danny McFarlane of Jamaica won the silver medal in 48.11 seconds. Naman Keita of France won the bronze in 48.26 seconds.
After Sanchez crossed the line, he threw his head back with a look of relief then clasped his hands together. Someone gave Sanchez a Dominican flag and an olive wreath and he walked along the side of the track, waving to fans.
“It’s a feeling of pride every time I step on the track, knowing I have a lot of Dominicans following me,” said Sanchez, who still lives and trains in California. “Now hopefully I can push the movement in athletics. We’ve come a long way since I first competed in 1999.”
The impoverished country of 8.8 million people first participated in the Olympics in the 1964 Tokyo Games. Its only other medal came in 1984, when boxer Pedro Julio Nolasco won bronze in Los Angeles.
On Thursday, joyous Dominicans ran into the streets in Santo Domingo, honked car horns and waved flags to celebrate the golden victory.
President Leonel Fernandez and other government officials watched the race on a large-screen television at the National Palace. The president led a toast afterward, which was broadcast on Dominican television.
Sanchez won the NCAA title in 2000 with Southern California, but only made it to the semifinals in the Olympics later that year.
His world dominance started after that. He has not lost since July 2, 2001. In between, he has won two world championships, the Pan Am Games in 2003 and now Olympic gold.