I have just received news of the sudden passing of Desai Williams, a noted son of the soil, who represented his adopted home, Canada, at numerous International Track and Field Competitions, including the World Athletic Champioship and Olympic Games.
We would recall local efforts at collaborating with Desai Williams who sought ways to give back to his native country and chose the route of conducting training sessions with Canadian athletes he coached at the Kim Collins Stadium.
At these sessions, there were always opportunities for local athletes and coaches to be involved and integrated.
On behalf of our Olympic and Commonwealth Games Family, I extend condolences to his immediate family, including his dear brother, Asquith, the members of the SKN Diaspora in North America to whom he was closely associated and the wider athletic family.
A. E Bridgewater, C.S.M.
President, SKNOC-CGA
Desai Williams (born June 12, 1959[1] in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis) is a former sprinter from Canada, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 4 x 100 metres relay in Los Angeles 1984.
Competing at the two first World Championships, where he reached the semi-final (1983 and 1987), he set his personal best 200 metres time with 20.29 s in 1983 and his 100 metres personal best time of 10.11 s from a 6th-place finish at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Williams trained with the Scarborough Optimists Track Club, which was affiliated with the Ben Johnson scandal. Club coach Charlie Francis, working with Dr. Jamie Astaphan, had supplied performance-enhancing drugs to Johnson, Williams, Tony Sharpe, Angella Taylor, Mark McKoy and others.
Williams formerly worked as the speed coach for the Toronto Argonauts and was one of the most respected sprint coaches in eastern Canada, training Olympic athletes Tremaine Harris, Phylicia George and Justyn Warner, among others.