Kim Collins

Kim Collins, born on 5 April 1976 in Monkey Hill, Saint Kitts, became Saint Kitts and Nevis's most accomplished track athletes. A 100-metre specialist, he first competed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and later appeared in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio. His breakthrough came at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where he won the 100 metres in 10.07 seconds, beating England's Dwain Chambers. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he also anchored Saint Kitts and Nevis to 4x100-metre relay gold alongside Christopher Williams, Jason Rogers and Brijesh Lawrence. The relay result remains a achievement.

At the 2003 World Championships in Paris, Collins produced the result for which he is best known. He won the 100 metres in 10.07 seconds, defeating Darrel Brown of Trinidad and Tobago and defending champion Ato Boldon. The victory made Collins the first athlete from Saint Kitts and Nevis to become a world champion in athletics. It was his only individual World Championships gold, achieved after Collins negotiated the rounds and final in Paris that week. In Paris he added a bronze medal in the 4x100-metre relay with Williams, Rogers and Lawrence. It was the country's first Worlds medal.

Collins remained competitive long after his Paris triumph. At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, he took 100-metre bronze in 10.09 seconds behind Yohan Blake and Walter Dix. In 2013, at age 37, he ran 9.97 seconds in Clermont, Florida, becoming the first man aged over 35 to break ten seconds for 100 metres. He lowered his personal best to 9.96 in 2016 at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting, a performance recorded when he was 40. That mark made him the oldest athlete to run a legal sub-10-second 100 metres. His best of 9.96 remains Saint Kitts and Nevis's record.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Collins carried Saint Kitts and Nevis's flag at the opening ceremony and reached the 100-metre final, finishing sixth. He was again a finalist at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, where he finished sixth in the 100 metres. His major relay performances included Olympic fourth place in the 4x100 metres at Sydney in 2000, when Saint Kitts and Nevis ran with Collins, Williams, Rogers and Lawrence. Collins attended Texas Christian University and competed for its track program before building his international career. His world title and age-defying times distinguish his career clearly internationally.