Marie Williams and her friend Maia Chung Smith sport contrasting black and white. - Photos by Barbara Ellington

For many, last year's performance by the undeniable gritty and oh-so formidable Brigitte Foster-Hylton, at the Beijing Olympics, should have been her swansong. They expected her to bow out of international competition and say goodbye to the event she holds near and very dear to her heart - the 100-metre hurdles.

A fixture of the Jamaican track and field team for many years, many had come to regard the charming young woman as little more than a beautiful competitor, who had not only passed her prime, but also secretly harboured the notion that gritty though she is she would never quite make it to the top of the international podium. They doubted her capacity to rise to the occasion and give that gold-winning performance. She certainly had a memorable career, but one many feared was akin to that of Merlene Ottey - always the 'bridesmaid', never the bride. Up that point, hers was a career highlighted by silver and bronze performances, and never the gold.

Doubting Thomases

The doubting Thomases who saw Foster-Hylton's inclusion in Jamaica's team to Berlin earlier this year as an act of sentimentality rather than an expression of confidence in her ability, they can be forgiven. These were sentiments that the athlete herself had at one time or another, might have contemplated and demonstrably so, when she made public those concerns. Her stated desire was to resign from the competitive arena, after her performance in Beijing, China, last year.

Well my daahlings, aren't we all very glad that for whatever reasons, Foster-Hylton was included in the team for the 12th annual IAAF World Championships!

Darlings, like fine wine that had come of age, the 'veteran' Foster-Hylton, not only thumped her competitors with a memorable gold-medal run, she lifted the spirits of her countrymen everywhere with her performance, causing many to shed tears of joy for her perseverance and the triumph.

And my daahling dears, how!!

If there were any who thought that Foster-Hylton's Berlin performance was a flash-in-the-pan, she soundly erased that notion from their minds. She gave the greatest performance of her life. She closed the year with gold-medal performances at the Weltklasse Golden League meet in Zurich, Switzerland; British Grand Prix in Gateshead; the Van Damme Golden League in Brussels; Rieti, Italy; finally crowing her golden run at the World Athletics Finals in Greece, thus making it a golden year, for a great athlete!

And so the charming Brigitte Foster-Hylton had lots to celebrate. And all of this, prior to her 35th birthday!

Well my dears, that birthday was last Saturday, November 7, and to celebrate the occasion, her number-one fan and devoted husband, Patrick, hosted a birthday celebration for her at their Earl's Court residence in upper St Andrew. Dears, it was a blowout and then some!!

Honestly, the party was more of a celebration of Foster-Hylton's MVP Track Club, than it was anything else, and with a number of her teammates, fans and well-wishers on hand to mark the occasion.

Dovecakes, it was not one of your mushy affairs where the quoted and noted stood around mimicking polite conversations and/or a greater sense of each other's importance! Nope! This, my dears, was a total celebration of an iconic track star, late-bloomer though she is, and in the mode and style of pop culture and precious angels, how!

Dears, to begin, the Hyltons reside in a simply stately home, done in regal style, reflecting modest, grandeur befitting the couple. The venue was transformed into a festive playground, made so by a professional dance floor, complete with party lighting, a number of marquees boasting a slavish fare, a giant-size bar, and a lounge area.

Now, imagine, the latest and hottest in tunes from the pop culture pumping into the night air, as scores of young people just awaiting the juggling hour. Well, my dears, it came and not quite at midnight, but soon after guests had gathered and greeted each other and saluted the birthday girl. And when it happened, it was a party to remember, and then some!

Dears, with birthday girl dressed in a form-fitting gold knee-length dress and looking positively regal was positively flawless; her doting husband stood proudly by her side. Formalities were chaired by MVP Track Club president, Bruce James. Accolades came from her coach Steven Francis. Tessane Chin and Alaine performed the Happy Birthday chorus and there was an acknowledgement of text messages coming in from around the globe.

Dears, for the partying, the birthday girl changed into a black number making it clear it was all about celebrating!

With the reggae and dancehall hottest tunes wafting through the air and with those gathered clearly ready to party, the dance floor became a sea of guests simply doing the latest and hottest dance moves.

Dears, there is nothing more expressive than the Jamaican at play and luvs, so it was.

guests

Sharing in the festivities were Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Ronald Robinson and wife, Karette; Spanish Ambassador Jesús Silva and his wife, Sara; French Ambassador Marc-Olivier Gendry; Canadian High Commissioner Stephen Hallihan and wife, Cathy - who both danced up a storm; Third Secretary of the German Embassy, Alexandra Consten; Captain Michael Lyn and wife, Thalia; Donovan and Andrea Lewis; Patrick and Marguerite Lynch; Roger Malik and companion, the lovely Amber Vicens Stewart, she, also celebrating her birthday.

Also spotted were Dr Nigel Clarke; Neil and Sandra Glasgow; the charming Carmen Clarke; sprint star Asafa Powell; Olympic and World Champion Melaine Walker; the lovely Pascale James; the oh-so-lovely Dr Paula Dawson; the charming Sheree Martin; Dennis and Erraine Cohen; the stunning Michelle Jackson; the lovely Maia Chung Smith; former Miss Jamaica Universe, Angelie Martin; dancehall artistes, Tifa, Chino, and Timber Lee; plus a host of others, but my dears, what a night!

Track star Brigitte Foster-Hylton feeds hubby Patrick some birthday cake at the party held to celebrate her big day on Saturday, November 7 at their Earl's Court, St Andrew, residence.

National Commercial Banks Rickert Allen is in seventh heaven as he gets to hug Tishan Lee (left) and Sheree Martin.

Budding champions Dennis Stephenson and Janeil Gordon make a pretty pair.

Out to celebrate the boss' wife's birthday are National Commercial Bank staff members (from left) Angella Rankine, Stacey Hamilton and Pauline Beverley.

Songbirds Alaine (left) and Tessanne Chin get camera ready at the birthday celebration for Brigitte Foster-Hylton.

Athletes Melaine Walker and Asafa Powell out to celebrate with their friend Brigitte.

French Ambassador Marc-Olivier Gendry has a word with Alexandra Consten.