Before Usain Bolt came on the scene, it was Veronica Campbell Brown. Veronica broke the initial drought for Jamaica, becoming the nation’s first Olympic flat sprint champion in 28 years. She is the Jamaican pride who started their resurgence. Both Usain and Veronica eventually ended their careers as decorated track and field champions, but their paths to stardom differed.

Weird coincidence – both Bolt and Veronica turned pro in 2004. Don’t worry, we are not trying to confuse you. It’s just that Bolt was 17 in 2004 while Veronica was 22. And she went pro only after completing college in the USA. It does sound like Veronica’s journey was dreamier. But, as it turns out, choosing an American college became necessary for the then 18-year-old prodigal athlete. Let us explore it further as the sprinter shared what she had to do for her career.

Veronica Campbell Brown (VCB) was the guest of the ‘Ready Set Go’ podcast episode released on March 6. Talking about various things, Rodney Green, one of the hosts, asked her about the collegiate route and how she handled it. VCB chose a junior program like Barton Community College to enter the American collegiate scene instead of a D1 program.

To this, Campbell explained her whole scenario and how her hands were tied: “The main goal was to get a scholarship and leave Jamaica because there is no way my parents could have afforded to send me to college in Jamaica and so that (US scholarship) was a way out.”

So, for many, the scholarship is a flex. Not that it wasn’t for Veronica. But for her, it was also the only way to keep her athletics dream alive. She went: “It was an opportunity to continue improving my education, continue improving in my track career.”

However, her SAT scores were not good enough to earn her a scholarship in a D1 program. She continued, “I did not have all the requirements for D1. I did not have the proper SAT score first of all, because in Jamaica the SAT is not something we normally do.” Further, she added, “And I didn’t get into a mentorship program soon enough to get the high score.”

The door to a D1 program was closed. She had only 2 choices. Either stay back in Jamaica with her track and field dream dying out or choose the other option. She weighed the pros and cons and decided: “So, in the end, I had to make a choice, and Barton County College was a great place. The history of dominating the collegiate was, it was intriguing to me.” For those who don’t know, Tyson Gay, the American sprinter and multiple Gold medalist, was from Barton Community College.

Even presently, the 2024 Paris Olympics had 3 athletes with roots in Barton Community College. Joveinny Mota was in the women’s 100m hurdle event, while Jhonny Renteria was in the men’s 100m sprint. The third was shot-put thrower Ana Da Silva. For Veronica, the plan was simple: “I took the opportunity to go there (Barton), do my best, and transition after”. As we all know, her best meant being the 2002 NJCAA National Meet “Female Track Athlete of the Meet”.

It was a choice that didn’t have many credible options, wasn’t it? Barton was the only way her dream could go on. She was, after all, the 2000 silver medalist in the 4×100 relay. And she needed the gold. Thankfully, this detour worked out perfectly for her career.

Her decision saved her track and field career and then some

What was a pressure decision for the 3-time Olympics Gold winner turned out to be the perfect stepping stone for her pro career. Barton gave her everything she needed to train for a long-term career. Talking about the care she got at the community college, Veronica said, “I take my time, continue improving, and actually, I was injured my first year at Barton or I was coming off of an injury going into Barton; so I was taken care of I didn’t have to rush into anything.”

Going into a new country could have been an overwhelming experience if not supported maturely. Thankfully, Veronica was given wholesome support by the Barton staff, which allowed her to settle down and get into a rhythm for the next chapter in her life. She got that in plenty. And it was exactly what she needed: “So, when it was time for the more elevated competition in the SEC, I was ready.”

That’s not all Barton did. Or for that respect, Arkansas, too, her transition college. Veronica Campbell Brown has achieved so much international success. It was possible all due to how well she managed her college workload.

Talking about how easy her transition from college to pro was, she said, “I think part of that also have to do with the care I received at Barton and University of Arkansas. I was never overworked, I was never over-raced, and I was able to take that same type of scheduling into my professional career because my agent never over-scheduled me, over race me.”

She added, “I could pick and choose where and when I want to race, and my agent and my coaches work well together to make sure that I was well taken care of”.

She was quite fortunate to have such great people around her who didn’t exploit her talent. They considered her well-being. That allowed her such a long, successful career – winning a medal in the Olympics from 2000 to 2016. Not many Jamaican track and field athletes have been as fortunate as she turned out to be.

She ended by saying, “So those were some of the things that really helped me to have a smooth transition, as well having a good team that care about me – the individual, and was there to really help me do what it takes to perform at a high level.”

A true legend in her own right!