JOPLIN, MO — Rajindra Campbell, an Olympian from Jamaica, came back to Joplin with a special piece of hardware: his bronze award.
The man laughed and said, “They say I should get a safe for it, but I think I like sleeping next to it.”
Campbell won third place in the men’s shot put with a throw of 22.15 meters, making him the first Jamaican to win a medal in the event. The former student at Missouri Southern said that the feeling got to him when he was speaking. He won for his country in front of the whole world when he was 28 years old.
The woman said, “I did cry a few tears.”
“I thought, ‘Wow, I did it!'” I was glad. It was also very busy for me on the phone, and I didn’t get much sleep afterward either.
For Campbell, though, the task is still not done. His path through track and field is connected to a greater cause. Campbell said that sports events often don’t get as much attention in Jamaica. The story is going to be changed by Campbell and gold medal winner Roje Stona.
Campbell said, “In a way, the things that Kingston doesn’t usually do so well really shined at the Paris Olympics.”
“I think they’re more willing to put money into the field events now, which is something I’ve been saying for a while.”
Campbell has a bronze medal and a lot of hard work to show for it. He hopes that many people will join him on his next Olympic trip, but not before he breaks the record for the shot put.
“I want to break the record at the next Olympics; that would be the cherry on top.”
Campbell said he does plan to participate in a few events soon, but right now he is helping out as a volunteer coach at Missouri Southern.