When Georgia Powell moved to Canada from Jamaica she never imagined that one of her three sons would become an Olympic champion.
Powell is the mother of sprinter Jerome Blake. Her other sons are Jason and Jhavoun.
READ MORE: Blake hits stride with move to Kelowna
She came to Canada, on her own, in 2008 through an employment program so she could give her boys better opportunities in life.
香蕉视频直播淎fter two or three years if you work enough then you can take your kids there,香蕉视频直播� said Powell.
When Powell first arrived in Canada she started working in Penticton and then moved to Revelstoke.
All that time she was without her children (they were cared for by their grandmother), but she did have a friend who was in the program with her.
香蕉视频直播淚t was hard at first,香蕉视频直播� she said.
In 2013, Powell married her husband, who is also from Jamaica and was finally able to bring her boys to Kelowna.
香蕉视频直播淚t was so good, you couldn香蕉视频直播檛 believe it like you香蕉视频直播檝e won the lotto,香蕉视频直播� she said of reuniting with her sons.
Powell and her husband divorced four years later, and they remain friends.
As they settled into their new home, Jerome and Jhavoun discovered track and field and football at Rutland Senior Secondary (RSS), while Jason attended Okanagan College. He is now a plumber and pipefitter in Calgary.
Jhavaoun is currently attending Gannon University in Pennsylvania on a football scholarship, and Jerome played for the Okanagan Sun before dedicating himself to track.
香蕉视频直播淚 wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 think Jhavoun would be playing football. Jason was doing carpentry, mason work, and construction before (in Jamaica). I didn香蕉视频直播檛 think he would actually be going to school.香蕉视频直播�
While Jerome was first drawn to football at RSS, Powell said it was track and field coach Peter McCall who recognized his potential as a world-class sprinter.
香蕉视频直播淭hat man is amazing. He played a vital part in Jerome香蕉视频直播檚 and Jhavoun香蕉视频直播檚 lives.香蕉视频直播�
The pair would also hone their sprinting skills on the running track at the Apple Bowl.
Raising three boys on her own was difficult, Powell said, and there wasn香蕉视频直播檛 always the money to pay for sports-related fees and equipment. She said support from RSS faculty and staff, friends, and co-workers helped tremendously.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 really grateful for all the help and support Jerome gets from everybody in Kelowna.香蕉视频直播�
Powell noted that her sons never complained, but were instead satisfied with whatever they had.
香蕉视频直播淏ecause we got love and that香蕉视频直播檚 the thing I think that kept us going. We had each other.香蕉视频直播�
The day Jerome won a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID-19) is one that Powell will never forget.
READ MORE: 香蕉视频直播楤et on yourself, always香蕉视频直播�: Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Jerome Blake reflects on Olympic bronze
It was around 6:30 a.m. when she walked into the theatre at Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna, where she works, and every single resident and staff member was there to watch him race.
香蕉视频直播淚 started crying because I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 believe it,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚t was a celebration in there I香蕉视频直播檓 telling you. They香蕉视频直播檙e like my family away from home.香蕉视频直播�
Jerome, and teammates Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse won bronze in the 4X100m relay. Those medals were upgraded to silver last year after a positive doping test on the British team.
The Canadian team will receive their new medals at the 2023 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships in Langley July 29 where Jerome is competing in several events.
Powell, who doesn香蕉视频直播檛 get to see her son run very often, will be in the crowd.
香蕉视频直播淚 never expected he would go to the Olympics. He never gives up. I香蕉视频直播檓 so proud of him.香蕉视频直播�
So what advice does a mother, who took on adversity and triumphed, give to her sons?
香蕉视频直播淎lways remember that you can香蕉视频直播檛 do nothing without God,香蕉视频直播� said Powell. 香蕉视频直播淚 tell them be grateful for what you have, respect others, have manners, be honest, and give everything you do 100 per cent. 香蕉视频直播淚t doesn香蕉视频直播檛 matter where you come from, it matters where you香蕉视频直播檙e going.香蕉视频直播�
READ MORE: Dream homes for the entire family after Kamloops woman hits $35M jackpot
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