Summary:
A star was born on March 25, 1920 in the quiet rural community of Plowden in the parish of Manchester, Jamaica. Arthur Stanley Wint is perhaps best known as Jamaica’s first Olympic Gold Medallist and has been profiles as such in his native island’s rich athletic history. However, little is known of the man who trained to become a Royal Air Force pilot and broke the Canadian 400m record while doing so; or the British trained surgeon who returned to Jamaica in 1963, eventually settling in Hanover as the only resident doctor and treating the poor for free; or the diplomat who was awarded the Order of Distinction, in 1973 and served as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK.
In The Longer Run, Valerie Wint paints a vivid and rounded portrait of a father, husband, teammate and friend who always managed to remain humble in spite of his professional successes and personal trials. She gives readers access to the life story of an enigmatic figure who towered above most in stature but lived quietly as a gentle giant.
Almost 20 years after his passing, the story of Arthur Wint lives on and continues to inspire. It is a story of discipline, courage, determination and most of all, love for family and country.
Review:
Arthur Wint is a familiar name to generations of Jamaicans who have held Helsinki Olympics and this quiet Olympian close to heart; to patients who sought healing by the gentle surgeon, to disenfranchised Jamaican migrants in England who turned to Arthur Wint their High Commissioner for comfort and representation.
To Valerie Wint, he was a hero of a special sort. This daughter’s account of a deeply private, complicated man, is the nearest we will ever get to understanding the inner turmoil and conflicted landscape that drove this great man’s decisions. In an account at times painfully honest, Valerie has reflected on the mystery of her father, the complexity of his personality, the strangeness of fate that helped to form and shape his story, and the wonder of his determination. She gives us an intimate portrait with uncommon insight and knowledge tempered with her great and, (as is often the case with daughters and fathers), often lonely love. - Rachel Manley- Author
About the Author:
Valerie Wint is the eldest daughter of Arthur Wint and currently resides in Canada with her family.
