HOUSTON, Texas (CMC) — Sprint legend Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie will transport her knowledge and expertise to the University of Houston.

The university announced that the Bahamian has been hired as the women’s sprint and hurdles coach. She heads to the Cougars from Southern Mississippi, where she spent the last year.

“It feels like a fairy tale,” said McKenzie. “Like something you read in a book. But it’s real life. I’m looking forward to learning from the staff. I grew up watching [head coach] Leroy Burrell and now I’m hired by him and he’s my boss and colleague. It’s a dream come true.”

She added: “I want us to work hard, but also have fun. Our goal as a team is to be number one. It won’t be easy, but we have to keep pushing.”

Burrell, the former 100 metres world record holder, said he felt the Cougars’ track programme needed a person with the calibre of Olympic experience that already exists on its staff as a role model for the women.

“Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie provides that and then some,” he said. “Debbie will be a tremendous asset to Cougars track & field in her role not only as a coach and mentor to our female athletes, but she brings a wealth of recruiting connections not only in the Caribbean, but throughout the world.

“We plan to thoroughly capitalise on those connections that she has fostered to build our programme to be among the elite programmes in collegiate track & field.”

Ferguson-McKenzie was a specialist at the 100- and 200-metre sprints, representing the Bahamas in five Olympic Games – Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012 – and was a three-time Olympic medallist and four-time medallist at World Championships.

She was also part of the Bahamas 4×100 women’s relay team, affectionately known as ‘the Golden Girls’, which won gold at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain, and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.