Natasha Hastings is a USA Track & Field Sprinter and Olympic Gold Medalist, Natalie Lucas finds out more
American Beauty B
rooklyn born Natasha Hastings was a tomboy - she was always outside playing ball or tag with the boys. She says: “My mum
and dad used to get upset after school with me as I’d be dirty from running around and playing games. My hair would be a mess and my clothes would have grass stains from sliding into base. My mother would always dress me up neatly and fix my hair in the morning, so she was always annoyed I came home disheveled.” Not only a tomboy, she was also a bit of a conundrum. Natasha was slightly popular but she always kept herself to herself. The few friendships she had, she cherished very much. Although not an outgoing child, she was known amongst others for her achievements on the track.
IT’S IN THE GENES Speed is clearly a family trait as both Natasha’s parents ran track. Natasha’s mum, Joanne Hastings (born Gardner) is from England. The only girl and oldest of 3, Joanne still has a few standing primary school records in England. At 13, she and her family moved to Trinidad where she continued running. She made the 1984 Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Team. However injury prevented her competing. Joanne unfortunately never competed again, as she moved to America and had her own family - in 1986 Natasha was born. As a child Natasha loved running but
didn’t know she was any good. In second grade in her gym class, the gym teacher got all the girls and boys to run in a race and timed them. He then took the fastest boy and fastest girl and got them to race. Natasha won! “That’s when I realised I was pretty fast,” she recalls.
THE RUNNING GEEK Natasha started competing at 9 years old, straight through to university. She went to a private primary school that
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