Love can be found in the strangest places: at school, work or even on the field of play. And there is no better person to fall in love with than one who shares a similar passion and dream. At the ongoing Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, several couples will be living their dreams at the world’s biggest stage. It is on that note that we bring to you our Top 5 couples to watch out for in Rio.
- SHANIEKA THOMAS & KERRY-LEE RICKETS
Shanieka Thomas is Jamaica’s leading female Triple Jumper and a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion (2013 outdoor, and 2014 indoor and outdoor). Her husband Kerry-Lee Rickets is a Medical and Sport Massage Therapist, Athletic Trainer and Jumps coach. And he is Thomas’ coach.
So the pair will be in Rio, but in different capacities. 24-year old Thomas is making her debut to the games, having enjoyed a successful season which saw her making her debut at the IAAF Diamond League and setting her Personal Best (PB) of 14.57m. And Rickets believes that she can get to the Top 3 at the games.
He said, “I’m not getting ahead of myself. I’m being a realist, but I do see her in the top three. It’s every athlete’s dream to be an Olympian and it’s every coach’s dream to coach an Olympian as well, so I am really looking forward to this.”
Rickets also disclosed that the coach-athlete, husband-wife dynamics has worked for them so far: “Being married and working together, it’s a good thing. We eat and sleep triple jump, we are best friends and, in addition to being her husband, I’m her coach, her gym instructor, her massage therapist. It’s a good dynamic.”
And though the Jamaican team went to Rio without a Jumps coach, Rickets was able to reach an agreement with Jamaica officials whereby he would have access to the pre-Olympic camp and also make his own travelling and accommodation arrangements for the Olympics, as well as securing a ticket for a section of the stadium from where he could communicate with his wife. Talk about the sacrifices we make for love.
