Aleen Bailey leadership qualities coupled with the tremendous confidence that she exudes elevate her to a true leader. Aleen could have picked up this positive attitude representing high school track and field powerhouse Vere Technical at Boys and Girls Champs, where she went almost unbeaten for four years.
Aleen bailey She was a Carifta Games Gold Medallist from 1997 to 1999 and the National 100 and 200 metres Champion in 2001. She also participated with success at the Penn Relays, the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the University of South Carolina.
Although she was doing well from at early as 14 years old, the St Mary native really got serious about athletics as a career at 17. “I started to look at other people who made it and decided to do it too.”
“I saw Merlene Ottey on TV. I saw all the things she did and all the things she got and I wanted to be like her,” Aleen said. “It was amazing,” she says of Jamaica’s victory in the sprint relay at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
“It didn’t feel real. The team went out there and prayed. The only team that was really in my mind was Russia. You can lose a race because of bad baton passes. Russia had perfect baton passes. But we were determined. Then Merlene Ottey came by. Merlene made it easy for us to go out there. She encouraged us. Her being there was amazing. She is an amazing person once you get to know her. All of us on the 4 x 1 team idolise her.” She will return to the University of South Carolina to finish her degree in Sociology soon.
“I’m interested in social work,” she says. “There are a lot of young females whose fathers have disappeared. Some have children without fathers. I want to start a programme to help them get their lives back on track. That’s where my sociology degree comes in.”
She plans to return to Jamaica to settle down. No place like home,” she says. “But I would like to see Jamaica return to the days when people really cared about their neighbours. I remember people being more helpful to each other when I was growing up. People shared. Nobody went hungry if they didn’t have anything.”
Aleen finished a creditable fifth place in the final of the 100 metres and also finished fourth in the 200m final. Undoubtedly, though, her highlight of the Games came when she teamed up with Tayna Lawrence, Sherone Simpson and Veronica Campbell to win Gold in the 4x100m.