Ato Boldon

A sports figure as well known for this ability on the field as for his acumen on the sidelines, Ato Boldon was born in Trinidad in 1973. He immigrated to the United States at age 14, and soon signed up for his new high school's soccer team. Almost immediately, Boldon's coach noticed the young athlete's sprinting ability, persuading him to sign up for track. By 1992, the then 19-year-old was competing at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics, taking home the gold medals in the 100m and 200m relays. He would take home the bronze in the 100m at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics two years later, and went on to win the bronze in the 100m and 200m at the Olympic Games in Atlanta the next year. He was preparing for the World Championships in Athletics in 1999 when an injury interrupted his winning streak. Fate intervened, and the BBC invited Boldon to do commentary and analysis for the event. Boldon's abilities as a broadcaster were so apparent that the network invited him back for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Boldon returned to the field for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, bringing home the bronze medal in the 200m and the silver in the 100m. Tragedy struck in 2002 however, when he was seriously injured in a head-on crash with a drunk driver in Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago in 2002. Boldon was never able to run the 100m in under ten seconds or the 200m in under 20 seconds again after the incident. Boldon, however, was undeterred. He set his sights on broadcasting full time, and began covering the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for NBC. By 2010, he was dividing his time between NBC and ESPN, and began personally coaching American sprinter Khalifa St. Fort.