Olympic winner visits Jamaica school

“Natasha! Natasha!”
This is what nearly 100 kids in P.S. 140’s auditorium screamed almost every time their guest, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Hastings, made a comment.
On Tuesday, September 23, Hastings, 22, visited the Jamaica school to give a short motivational speech to the students, whose grades range from pre-kindergarten to sixth.
“I’m just like you guys; I’m no celebrity or superstar. I’m just a regular person that had dreams and worked hard,” explained Hastings, a sprint athlete who won a gold medal at this summer’s Olympics in Beijing.
“When I was your age, I was studying hard,” said Hastings, who grew up in Rosedale and is a member of the United States 4 x 400 meter relay team.
The Olympic star told the students that she hopes to be a chiropractor or a physical therapist one day. “I know that I can’t always run,” she explained.
After the talk, the kids, wearing light blue uniforms, swarmed around Hastings, asking to receive hugs and autographs and to touch her heavy gold medal, which hung from her neck.
Taking advantage of the closeness, the children also absorbed every detail of Hastings’ appearance: her sleek straight black bob parted at the side, her pink lipstick, her magenta French manicure, her tight-fitting blue jeans, her white Nike T-shirt.
“My name is almost like hers!” exclaimed 11-year-old Natalia Dumtan. She said this makes her think she is a little like Hastings.
“It was fun, I never saw any Olympic medalist,” said Kenneth Johnson, 9. “I wonder how it feels to have a medal on your chest. I want to be a running athlete.” Like his classmates, Johnson said what he learned from the athlete was not to drop out of school.
“It’s important to me that we get out and talk to the kids. I started at their age,” said Hastings after her speech. “I wanted them to understand that it’s not too soon to start dreaming.”
The teachers were just as excited. “It was an inspirational moment to see how the dreams of a girl from Queens can come true. It’s an example for every single student that they can realize their dream,” said Erica Gonzalez, educational assistant for fifth grade.
During her visit at P.S. 140, Hastings also received congratulatory letters from the City Council, presented to her by Councilmember Leroy Comrie, who represents Southeast Queens, and from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, given to her by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.
Hastings started running at the Colgate Women’s Games at the age of 9. She graduated from A. Philip Randolph High School in Harlem, becoming a world junior champion. In 2007, as a junior at the University of South Carolina, Hastings established herself as one of the best 400 meter runners.
She is the daughter of athletes - her father is a former sprinter for Jamaica and her mother is a former sprinter for Trinidad.