- 23 minutes ago
He made history as Trinidad and Tobago's first Olympic gold medalist but behind that historic victory is a story of poverty, pressure, and determination .
Hasely Crawford grew up with very little, but he says he always knew he was destined to be the best.
Now, decades after standing on that Olympic podium, Crawford is reflecting on the journey in this episode of Catching Up with Rochelle Edwards.
Hasely Crawford grew up with very little, but he says he always knew he was destined to be the best.
Now, decades after standing on that Olympic podium, Crawford is reflecting on the journey in this episode of Catching Up with Rochelle Edwards.
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00:10Trinidad and Tobago can't send an astronaut to promote.
00:13We could send a man that no astronaut can catch, because he can't go back.
00:25Away they go, first time.
00:35Before there was Olympic glory, before the gold medal, there was a little boy growing
00:40up in Trinidad, surrounded by many siblings and not much money.
00:45But sometimes the greatest dreams begin in the simplest places.
00:50I ran because I came from a very large family.
00:54Twelve of us.
00:56My father died when I was 13, 14, some of them.
01:01But of course he was a breadwinner.
01:07And I ran on the road and beat everybody.
01:16Eventually, I was seen on scene by a friend, a family friend, and he brought me to the Brooklyn
01:25Sports Club.
01:26And I started to run.
01:28Crawford says when he and his siblings were younger, they spent a lot of time outside
01:33playing.
01:33And it was during those childhood races that he discovered something.
01:38He was fast.
01:39Nothing will pass me.
01:41Nothing will pass me.
01:41You will assume it will pass me.
01:43No.
01:44Always observant.
01:45And when my father died, I saw what my mom went through.
01:49When she was going to borrow money from my grandfather, I was there with her.
01:52She takes me there.
01:53So, it wasn't easy.
01:58So, I decided, and I think young people must look around and see what is taking place.
02:05When they're with their mother or their dad and trying with them, you have to pay back.
02:12You must pay back.
02:13There's no free lunch.
02:14What started as running with the neighborhood children quickly became something much bigger.
02:20He began competing and winning.
02:22Commonwealth Games, international competitions, more victories.
02:26And with every win came something Crawford says was essential to his success.
02:32Confidence.
02:33Don't tell me I can't do something.
02:35I train hard.
02:37I correct all my mistakes.
02:39Even now, I still live like that.
02:41If I make a mistake, I will do it over, fix the problem, and come again.
02:46And you would think, being one of the fastest in the program, he probably had a well-balanced
02:51diet.
02:52Well, not exactly.
02:54So, the little money I'm making, every Tuesday getting a little, a little $45, half coming home
03:00to mind my sisters and brothers.
03:02I can remember, you know Twinkie, Twinkie little cake, little cakes.
03:06Yeah.
03:07I went somewhere and so on, and I bought.
03:10Every lunchtime, I used to eat a Twinkie, Twinkie and a Pepsi.
03:16Then came the moment that would change his life, the Olympic Games.
03:21And while the world would eventually remember the confidence of Haseley Crawford, behind the
03:26scenes, there were nerves.
03:28Lots of them.
03:30Remember I told you, I was dressed the evening before, 5 o'clock the evening before.
03:36Right.
03:37Dressed there.
03:39I couldn't sleep.
03:41So nobody could sleep.
03:43He even had his own version of the Olympic tradition.
03:46Something used, something old, something blue, and something borrowed.
03:51That outfit would become historic, and Crawford still has it today, carefully preserved in
03:57a casing.
03:58But as he stood on the track preparing to run the race of his life, there was no feeling
04:03of carefree excitement.
04:04You really feel like Trinidad has been put on your shoulders, you know.
04:07You do feel it.
04:08And you feel you can't carry it.
04:10You feel weak.
04:11That is why when I went in the room, I was cussing.
04:15I cussed everybody.
04:17There's Caseley Crawford of Trinidad, and that's his habit to turn his back to the finish
04:21line.
04:22Set.
04:23Then, the gun.
04:27When the counter blocks, when they explode in there, you could still see.
04:31But on this side, nobody was there.
04:33Nobody was there on that side.
04:35You're either behind or in front.
04:38Okay?
04:41You had to tell yourself, if you're behind, you had to catch up.
04:45And if you're not careful, you could turn something, which goes against the grain of
04:50running.
04:51That.
04:53You're fighting.
04:54You had to tell yourself, relax.
04:56You had to tell yourself, let go.
04:59In 10 seconds, sir, the race is toppling for you, you know.
05:02The race is going.
05:03I can't remember when I reached 60, 70 meters as well.
05:06I couldn't see anybody here.
05:09And I kind of just talked to myself.
05:11I said, oh, my God, it's so easy to win a gold medal.
05:14And in so doing, I cut my stride.
05:20So, you know, not intentionally.
05:23And Corey was coming at me.
05:24And then, he crossed the finish line.
05:30History.
05:31Trinidad and Tobago had its first Olympic gold medal.
05:34You might imagine that in that moment, Crawford was praying, celebrating, overcome with joy.
05:40But his reaction?
05:45Look at this again.
05:47Wait.
05:47Wait.
05:48They're going to.
05:49Pray.
05:51Because sometimes relief does not look like celebration.
05:55Sometimes it's simply the release of everything you've been carrying.
05:58And then came the podium.
06:00The gold medal.
06:02The national anthem.
06:03And in that moment, Crawford wasn't thinking about fame.
06:07He wasn't thinking about the cameras.
06:09He was thinking about his mother.
06:12Crawford has plenty to celebrate.
06:14A national medal.
06:16An Olympic gold medal.
06:18Memories with some of the world's biggest names.
06:21A life filled with experiences many could only dream of.
06:24But Crawford's legacy extends far beyond what he achieved on the track.
06:28He earned a degree in industrial education and management.
06:32What that gold medal did, it foreshadowed everything that I've done.
06:35They forget our degree.
06:36They forget everything.
06:37I went to school.
06:38What is this thing they forget?
06:40And sometimes people look at you and think you're stupid.
06:43And they think they can pass things.
06:45But they can't forget.
06:47There's more to you than the gold medal.
06:49After his athletics career, Crawford worked at the National Gas Company,
06:53where he helped create different projects.
06:55This is my whole career.
06:58And now he is also passing his story on to the next generation
07:02through a children's book about his life.
07:04A story that begins with a boy who didn't have much,
07:07but discovered he had something powerful.
07:10The belief that he could be the best.
07:12From the dusty roads of childhood to the Olympic track.
07:16From poverty to a gold medal.
07:19From carrying the expectations of an entire country
07:22to finding peace among his plans.
07:25Ezley Crawford's story is about much more than winning.
07:29It is about believing.
07:30It is about sacrifice.
07:32It is about family.
07:34And perhaps most importantly,
07:36it is about what happens when a little boy
07:39who discovers he can run fast,
07:41decides he won't stop running until he reaches his dream.
07:46I am Ezley Crawford.
07:47Thank you for catching up.
07:57Rochelle Edwards, TV6 News.
07:59Rochelle Edwards, TV6 News.
08:08Rochelle Edwards, TV6 News.
08:10me or tahu. Ok? You
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