Jamaica’s speed skater Romaine is a winner.
Austin who led from the beginning won the historic gold medal for Jamaica yesterday in division 15 of the 500m race inside Liebenau ice rink stadium at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria.
Austin, won in a time of 1:18.971 minutes, ahead of three competitors from Hong Kong.
Wing Ho Lee won silver in 1:22.840 minutes, while Antony Sze-Yuen Tsoi (1:25.684) and Tsz Fai Yip (1:25.915) were third and fourth, respectively.
Austin’s feat represents the tropical country’s first gold medal on ice at the Special Olympics World Games.
Only two months ago, the 19-year-old Austin and Jamaica speed skating teammate Dave Oddman, who won silver in division 23 of the 222m event on Wednesday, had their first training session on ice during a one-week stint in Florida.
Austin, who along with his father, is a goat farmer in the Bernard Lodge area of St Catherine, gave dedication to his family, Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) and speed skating coach Jacqueline Bennett.
“This gold means a lot to me, and it is also for my mother, the rest of the family, everybody. SOJ and coach believed in me, and she told me ‘well done’ when I was finished,” Austin said.
