Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis - men's 100 metres heats, Daegu (© Getty Images)
Kim Collins bleary eyed and tired after a week of intense competition at the IAAF World Championships sat in the lounge of Daegu's Airport Hotel on Monday conscientiously answering all of the Tweets and Facebook messages which have been filling his I-Phone with congratulations after his successes in Korea.
The athlete who has a "Kim Collins Highway" named after him back home in St Kitts & Nevis for his sporting achievements was answering the "hero-grams" from his worldwide entourage of fans and friends after snatching unexpected 100m and 4x100m bronze medals at the Daegu World Championships.
"I haven't been able to answer all of the messages on Facebook and Twitter," he said supping on a fruit juice and trying to relax before he embarked on his long-haul flight to the Weltklasse Zürich, the first of two Finals of the Samsung Diamond League 2011 which takes place on Thursday (8).
"It's been tough (through tiredness) trying to answer all of the fans ‘well done’s’. But everyone is special, so I'll have to give them all a personal answer."
Collins 35, displaying a self-belief which exudes age is definitely no barrier if you wish to achieve any target, stunned his much younger opponents when grabbing third place in the 100 behind Yohan Blake of Jamaica and the USA's Walter Dix.
"Being in the finals you could always expect to be on the podium," said Collins of a pressurised environment in which Usain Bolt the world record holder and defending champion was disqualified. He admitted of his third position: "It was a good thing for me finishing there but to say I expected - I wouldn't really say that."
Collins as surprised as the rest of the field after Bolt's red card, as a professional, journeyman athlete just concentrated on giving it his best shot although everyone's medal hopes had significantly risen with the Jamaican's demise.
"These things happen and it just happened at a bad time for him and it cost him a world championships title," added Collins who switched off about the dismissal and concentrated on another dash down the home straight which would fill his bank account with US$20,000 prize money for third place.
"Of course you are always aware of what's going on," he revealed after galloping to another great 100 performance in an international career which began at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he went out in the qualifying round. "You try to focus, but at the same time you're still trying to keep tabs on who is around."
Collins first came to global prominence when winning the 2002 Commonwealth Games 100m gold medal in Manchester.
The stature of that event in global sprinting terms is parochial but Collins quickly proved his stature at the following year's IAAF World Championships in Paris collecting the gold medal.
Collins following his victory in Paris, said: After 2003, I still made the Olympic final in Athens and then in 2005 I came back and won a World bronze in the 100. Then I didn't win anything until recently here in Daegu."
Then in a comment to be heeded by fellow competitors, he insisted: "It's been a long time, there were ups and downs and when there's ups it's great and when you're down you just have to accept the fact."
But two years ago with his achievements already recognised by his Island President with the award of a Medal of Honour and Star of Merit, he decided the time had come to retire - but that decision did not last for long!
"Athletics is my life style and it's what I've doing all my life so really there wasn't that much to do," he said. "So I came back and was having fun that I had got to be doing something again."
His spare time includes coaching some of his nation's up-and-coming sprinters and he was delighted to partner Jason Rogers, Collins, Antoine Adams and Brijesh Lawrence who last Sunday on the blue Daegu 2011 track, rocketed to fame when third behind Jamaica who set the 4x100 world record, and France in silver.
"We're getting there, it's slow and it's going to be a long progress not something that's going to happen overnight," said Collins. "You have to stick with it and eventually it will happen."
Collins, although still having the mind-set of a teenager to continue his career, admits eventually he will have to hang up his spikes, added: "I have no idea when. I will just have to take it one day and one year at a time.”
"I'm coaching a couple of athletes now and that's maybe something I may go on to do. I'm not sure yet but I'll have to see how well these athletes develop and determine if that's what I want to do.”
"If my body holds up I will continue, if it doesn't I won't be able to do it, but I have to take it one day at a time because you never know what going to happen.”
"If I come to London (2012 Olympic Games), I want to do as great as I did here in Korea."
Collins summing up the past and future, insisted: "It’s about taking care of my body and listening to make sure my body's in best condition to give me the best performance."
Dave Martin for the Samsung Diamond League
