Running Sideways

"Davis debuts with an exhilarating look at her remarkable life and career, from her youth in the Bahamas to her success across five Olympic games. Dedicated to ""Bahamaland,"" the book opens with an account of Davis's childhood in the 1960s and '70s in Bain Town, in a clapboard house ""miles from the [island's] idyllic white sand beaches."" In spite of her family's poverty, Davis's ""raw talent"" as a runner got her noticed in the seventh grade and she quickly ascended in the track world, going on to excel in the 1984 CARIFTA games. After becoming a NCAA National Champion in 1989, she won a series of Olympic medals, including a silver in the 1996 Atlanta games and two golds in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In addition to regaling readers with stories from that era, she reminisces on the fallout surrounding American sprinter Marion Jones, whose doping scandal and disqualification in the 2000 Olympics overshadowed Davis's wins, later inspiring her to join the World Athletics council to protect and regulate ""mankind's most fundamental sport."" While her narrative is bracing, most admirable is Davis's unflagging love for her homeland: ""Everything I have done in my life has been for [my] country."" This tale of determination will enthrall athletes and humanists alike. From the very beginning, the odds against Pauline Davis were overwhelming. But Olympic champions are forged from extraordinary resolve, resilience, courage and personal values, unimaginable by most and understood by only the few who have persisted in similar quests. This story, recounted from the perspective of an athlete from a very small country, describes the challenges, adventures, successes and failures, politics and cheating encountered by athletes prior to eventual adoption of athlete-centered policies and evolving sport governance principles. Pauline was there before and during this transition and, following her competitive career, became a respected international sport official. In this engaging book, readers will learn much about Pauline and her character, international sport and perhaps, in the process, something of themselves. As a coincidental footnote to this remarkable series of achievements, I had the enormous pleasure as a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee to present the well-deserved medals to the Bahamian relay team members of whom Pauline was the spiritual captain. From the Foreword Like many others in my sport, I was aware and have at times celebrated Pauline's herculean achievements on the track. But it was not until reading Running Sideways that I had insight into the boulder-strewn nature of that path. ... This is a book about faith, determination, focus, and God-given talent. It is also a book about a trailblazer in women's sport, not just in The Bahamas, but on the global sporting stage. Pauline didn't just run races and relays, she carried the baton for hundreds of young girls who dream of becoming the next Olympic or World Champion, the thousands of female athletes who compete week in and week out in athletics and the millions that are yet to come. I had the pleasure of training with Pauline for two years. She runs the same way she writes--without fear. It's time for the world to know Pauline Davis. I have known Pauline for years and have always admired her--not only for her athletic success, but also for her determination and refusal to quit on her dreams. In this autobiographical text, the great Bahamian track star Pauline Davis offers a story worth telling, collaborating with journalist and former AP correspondent Todd.... Details of her insider perspective on the anti-doping campaign, sometimes against Russian participation in Olympic events after WADA accusations, and her personal involvements in related scandals, both as a victim of doping and a fighter against it, is a notable aspect of the text.Recommended. All readers. Pauline Davis is a brilliant example of Bahamian excellence and perseverance. I remember as a youngster, my Bahamian grandfather having us go out as a family to watch and support Pauline and the other Bahamian athletes at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Pauline later mesmerised the world in Sydney 2000 with her gold medal winning Olympics performances and her star continues to shine today through her mentorship of young Bahamian athletes. Pauline Davis is a genuine friend who gives from the heart. I am so excited about the road she travelled, even with all the twists and turns. They made her a remarkable human being. I highly recommend this book, so others might be inspired by her life's journey from poverty to Olympic champion. Pauline Davis, a five-time Olympian (1984 through 2000) and two-time Olympic gold medalist from the Bahamas, may not be a household name to U.S. track-and-field fans, but her remarkable life journey will surely inspire readers. She was raised in a ghetto neighborhood with no plumbing or electricity; however, her talent as a sprinter was evident at a young age, especially because she ran barefoot, carrying her body in a sideways manner. Dedicated coaches and even a prime minister championed Davis, helping her compete in the Caribbean, at the University of Alabama, and on the international stage. With a competitive fire and unwavering work ethic, Davis triumphed over more than just other sprinters on the track. Her encounters with racism and political obstacles would have crushed the spirit of many athletes, yet she persevered to become the first Black woman to serve on the IAAF (now World Athletics) Council, championing issues like equality and anti-doping. A trailblazing citizen of the world and her beloved country, Davis eloquently reminds us that the difference between success and failure can be razor thin. Running Sideways turned out to be one of the most compelling track books I've had the pleasure of reading lately."