The most successful male sprinter in the history of the Commonwealth Games, Jamaica’s Donald Quarrie, has hailed the unique design of the Queen’s Relay Baton produced for the 2018 staging of the event, which takes place in the Gold Coast of Australia next April.

“The design this year is unique,” said the man who represented Jamaica at four consecutive Commonwealth Games.

“Each year you see something different, but this one, with the lighting and with the naming of the countries all around, that was really, really important because you could follow the baton’s path.

“I was able to count all the countries, and it is remarkable that it gives you an overall picture of all the Commonwealth countries. It was explained to us what the baton was made of and that it represents the past, present and the future,” said Quarrie.

The former sprinter was a member of the group representing the Jamaica Olympic Association that accompanied the baton around the island during a five-day whirlwind tour, where thousands of Jamaicans got to interact with and touch the “symbol” of the games.

“I am very happy to be a part of the tour. I was a part of it the last time around, but this time it is quite different, very interesting, and I think it is significant to keep the Commonwealth Games alive by having the baton go all over,” he noted.

Quarrie, the six-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, also spoke to the harmonious nature of the games, compared to other major athletics championships.

“I, myself, had my first international success at the Commonwealth Games, and that has remained with me forever, and I think for most athletes it’s a games where there is rivalry, but not an intense rivalry. You compete to do your best, but the harmony of the Commonwealth Games is still there, and I think for the sport that’s important.

“I think for individuals that’s important, and for athletes and also organisations that the comaraderie is one which should stay with the Commonwealth Games and spread throughout regular life,” he reasoned

Quarrie first represented Jamaica in the 1970 Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, as a 19-year-old. He won gold in the 100m and the 200m and still recalls with fondness his exploits at the games, suggesting that each had a different but significant meaning.

“Each one meant something different to me. I think the first one I was still young (and) I went in there open-minded and did very well. I enjoyed Scotland, at that time it was a little cold, but at that time it didn’t matter. But when I got more experienced the cold did not matter, which tells you the mind is a very important thing that can make or break you.”

The little dynamo went to New Zealand in 1974 and created history by retaining both sprint titles a feat never before done at the games.

“The second one was in Christchurch [New Zealand], that one at a different time of the year in March, so I had to get in shape earlier for that one. In fact, I barely made the final in the 100m because of the jet lag. But once I got into the final I was able to do quite well and pull it off. And by the time I ran the 200m, I was in fairly good shape,” he explained.

By the time his third Commonwealth Games had rolled around, in 1978, Quarrie had developed a rivalry with Trinidadian Hasely Crawford, which had continued from the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, where Crawford had won gold in the 100m and Quarrie, gold in the 200m. Quarrie won gold in the 200m at the Commonwealth Games in 1978.

“The following one was in Edmonton [Canada]. That one was different. It was the first time Hasely (Crawford) and I were meeting after the Olympics at a big championship, so that was a significant one because we had a little display in the semi-finals which got the crowd really excited before the final.

“Allan Wells from Scotland was one of the favourites, and I think that race was a classic race for everyone involved, because the crowd was anticipating what was going to happen, and I was fortunate to be able to come out on top, again,” Quarrie said with a smile.

Having been at the heart of the continued development of track and field in Jamaica, Quarrie is happy that athletes are once again seeing the significance of the Commonwealth Games.

“It is a little different now, in the sense that it’s back to where it was from an athletic point of view — a Commonwealth Games of high standards. I think the sport changed when financial rewards came into being. A lot of athletes did not compete in the Commonwealth Games, but now it’s important to them because it’s a big title, and most of the athletes do look forward to competing at the games. So we have come full circle,” he suggested.

The baton leaves the island today for a short trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands before moving on to The Bahamas.