Aleen still St Mary's darling »

Though she did not win a medal in the finals of the women's 100 metres yesterday, Aleen Bailey, is still the darling of Baccaswood district, her hometown in St Mary.

"Aleen is a motivator and I know she has been like a big sister to some of the girls. I am just happy for all of them," said Maud Bailey, Aleen's mother, who watched the race in the company of her grandchildren.

While her father, Dudley, was in Port Maria yesterday on business, Mrs Bailey and members of the community were glued to their televisions cheering on Aleen.

Prayer

"I have been praying for her and I told myself that wherever she finished in the race, then that is where God wants her," a jubilant Mrs Bailey told The Gleaner yesterday.

"I am very happy that she was able to reach the final," she said.Avoiding the gimmicks other athletes produced each time the camera focused on them in the starting blocks before their respective events, Aleen kept smiling and repeated, race after race, "Hi Mommy, miss you."

Immediately after Shelly-Ann Fraser and Kerron Stewart crossed the finish line, Aleen ran to the Jamaican supporters, grabbed a flag, put it in Fraser's hand and then it was celebration time.

Born on November 25, 1980, and a graduate of the University of South Carolina where she competed during her junior and senior seasons after transferring from Barton County Community College, Aleen is the half-sister of top reggae artiste, Capleton.