GARDINER Steven

General
HURRICANE DORIAN
He said his gold medal in the 400m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, had a positive impact on his family and athletics fans in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian had struck several weeks prior to the event, killing dozens and damaging his family home. "More than 60 people died and so much of the island was damaged. When all that is happening at home, it's hard to concentrate on athletics, but I had to. After Doha, when I got off the plane everybody was celebrating, screaming. The Bahamas may be one of the smallest nations, but when one of us wins something, we all celebrate. Only when I got back home did I see what it meant. These days, I can't really go to the grocery store like before because everyone knows me, and even when I try to stay anonymous, pulling my hat low over my face, people will come up to me [and say], 'I know it's you'. But it's fine. I love everybody and no one ever wishes me any harm. It's a reminder [that] we do this sport not only for ourselves. Because at times, what we do on a track can bring happiness to so many others." (spikes.worldathletics.org, 02 Dec 2019)

MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES
In late 2016 he moved from the Bahamas to Clermont, FL, United States of America, to start training with coach Gary Evans. He decided to change coach and locations after under-performing at the 2016 Olympic Games and failing to win a medal. "At the [2016] Olympics, I wasn't at my best. It just made me realise that I could do so much better, so I guess I had to make a change. I feel very good about it. I'm very happy and I 'm very happy with the environment that I'm in. I guess I just needed people to motivate me, instead of training by myself. Being in a group, it makes me more happier and I get to enjoy what I'm doing at the same time." (tribue242.com, 28 Mar 2017)

MIXED RELAY
He says he is a fan of the 4x400m mixed relay, which he took part in at the world relay championships in 2017. "Most of the time we don't get to race with the girls, so it was a great experience. We decided to go male-female-female-male. It was the obvious choice. In my view that is the best way to do it, with the two female athletes in the middle. Most of the countries are small and don't have a full relay team, so the mixed relay will give a lot of other countries a chance to win a medal at the [2020] Olympics, like the Bahamas." (olympic.org, 30 Jun 2017)