Special Episode: Ato Boldon Interview Part 2

11/25/20 • 36 min

TJ and Ato talk about the famous Oakley glasses Ato debuted 20 years ago at the Sydney Olympics (0:38). Ato talks about his career in television including: his decision to go into TV (3:21), if he was more nervous for his first Olympic race or broadcast (6:01), his favorite race to call (8:35), his favorite event to watch (10:50) and his time broadcasting NASCAR (12:30). TJ asks Ato about some of his interests outside of Track and Field including: his time in politics (16:15), his work with Homes for Hope (18:02) and his induction into the Institute for Caribbean Studies Wall of Fame (20:35). Ato talks about what it is like to now be a coach (21:56) and what it was like to run with the hopes of an entire country all on him (24:17). TJ asks for Ato's take on his prediction of when Usain Bolt's World Record will be broken (28:10) and they discuss Christian Coleman's current two-year ban from Track and Field (31:36). Lastly, TJ asks Ato what impact he hopes he's had (34:28).

Previous Episode

Special Episode: Ato Boldon Interview Part 1

TJ lists some highlights of Ato's impressive resume (:53). Ato talks about his favorite moment in his running career (1:47) and what it was like running as the veteran on the Trinidad and Tobago team near the end of his career (4:07). He then tells the story of how a psychic played into his races in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (5:52). TJ asks Ato why he decided to make a life long career out of track and field (10:17). Next they discuss the misconception that any fast athlete in the NFL has world class speed and could make an Olympic team. Ato describes what he considers "world class speed" (12:39) and why there is this misconception about NFL athletes (15:36). TJ asks Ato how this attention, even though it may be misguided, affects track and field (17:33) and what kind of effect someone like Tyreek Hill running in the Olympic Trials would have on the sport of Track and Field (21:34). They refocus on Ato's life as he talks about how the street he grew up on was named after him (23:55). TJ asks about the difficulty of moving to a different country at the age of 14 (26:19). Ato discusses how his track career began (28:56), a story about causing himself to be left off of a relay team for the Penn Relays in high school (31:14) and why he went to a junior college before attending UCLA despite being highly recruited (33:33). Lastly, Ato talks about how he got the nickname of Golden Boldon at a young age (35:35).