DAYS BEFORE Trinidad and Tobago won its first medal at the World Athletics Championships in China, TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis was repeating his appeal for a unified and coordinated approach to supporting the country’s sportsmen and sportswomen in the quest for excellence at the global level.

Lewis was speaking to hours after Machel Cedenio had finished second-to-last in the 400m final and Mikel Thomas was disqualified in his 110m hurdles first round heat at the IAAF World Championships in China.

“Most of our athletes have coaches and are in coaching programmes,” he said.

“What is important is the integration between their programmes, the NAAA (National Association of Athletics Administrations), the TTOC, Ministry of Sport, in terms of providing our athletes with the services they need.” Among those services he listed were funding for training and sports psychology.

“It’s no secret that we haven’t gotten the system right as yet,” Lewis continued.

“I would like to see us improve the delivery of services, disbursement of funds and so on. We need ongoing dialogue and what we have to do when we come out of events is have appropriate evaluation and analysis.

Our people don’t want to look bad but we have to work together; we can’t operate in silos, can’t be concerned about who gets the credit; we must be concerned with service to country,” he went on.

One of the glaring issues emerging from TT’s participation at the 15th World Championships has been the unusual number of athletes who were affected by injury in the months leading up to the games.

The men’s sprint relay team practically disintegrated by the time games had begun.

Richard Thompson pulled out weeks in advance, citing a leg injury, and Marc Burns had also declared himself unavailable due to injury.

However, Rondell Sorillo and Dan-Neil Telesford, having been passed as fit, were pronounced injured and unable to compete after their arrival in Beijing.

And Keston Bledman blamed his demise in the opening round of the 100 metres on an injury that he said had affected his preparation.

It was much the same for Jehue Gordon; the defending 400m hurdles champ crashed out in the first round as well, and then revealed he had been training with a “sports hernia.” Shot putter Cleopatra Borel said she hurt a finger while warming up for the qualifying round; she also was eliminated.

“I think people are really recognising how difficult it is on the world stage,” Lewis responded.

“Injuries are a part and parcel of sport; it’s very rare for athletes at this level to not be hurting. Notably, Usain Bolt had problems (this season).

We need to commend our athletes for not only qualifying for the World Championships, but for competing and showing dedication, determination and courage. It is laudable in my view.” The situation was different, at least for Keshorn Walcott, as it was widely known that the Olympic Javelin champion had been struggling with a foot injury for most of the season; even so, he failed to manage 77m on the day- this from an athlete who twice raised the national mark this season, and who, weeks before, had achieved 90m for the first time in his career.

“Walcott didn’t perform as he would have liked,” Lewis responded.

“That’s elite and Olympic sport. I remain tremendously optmistic about his future.” Meanwhile, the TTOC president took the opportunity to endorse the decision to have four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon train Thompson, as the latter prepares for what would most likely be his final Olympics as a competitor. “I think the news that Richard Thompson is now in Ato’s camp is a huge positive. It’s great that Ato is now being allowed to become more involved; he has trained with some of the best, and I think he has a tremendous contribution to make,” Lewis said.

Boldon also trains teenaged TT sprinter Khalifa St Fort.

Newsday was unable to contact Lewis yesterday for comment after the TT Women’s team won the bronze medals in the 4x100m relay final in Beijing.

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Enthusiastic young rugby players from south and central communities took to the field at the launch of the Flow South/Central Youth Rugby Tournament at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, yesterday. 

Five teams competed at the launch including Basse Terre, Maffeking, Sixth Company, Sobo and Guapo, with the last two teams combining to form one team. The tournament will also be supported by the Rainbow Sports, Cultural and Social Organisation. The tournament, which will run until October 3, will include a team from Rainbow. The six teams will compete in home and away matches with the top four teams playing for the top prize on the closing day. The tournament targets boys from age 15 to boys in their early twenties.

Samantha Lezama, public affairs and media relations manager at Flow enjoyed the excitement of the youngsters at yesterday’s launch. “This is the second time we are doing this rugby tournament. Every year the enthusiasm from the kids on the field is always energetic. They seem to like the sport very much.” 

Lezama is hoping the tournament will make the sport of rugby more popular. “Cricket and football is very popular in T&T and well supported. For us getting involved in rugby was an opportunity to bring that sport to more people. From the kids participating and the parents hearing about the game it will bring the sport to a wider community.”

Lezama explained that there are no immediate plans to expand the tournament to other parts of T&T, but it is possible competitions may take place in other areas in the future.

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Trinidad and Tobago’s 4x100 metres women relay team made history, not once but twice in the same event. 

First stopping the clock at 42.24 seconds in the semifinals and a few hours later the quartet of Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Michelle Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas and Semoy Hackett crossed the line in 42.03 behind the Americans, who took silver with a time of 41.68. Team Jamaica won gold in a time of 41.07. In the process the squad became the first women sprinters to win a relay medal at the World Championships, another historic achievement.

In a race that was started at quick speed, it was the leader of the team, the wily and experienced captain, Baptiste, that led from the front, with a dazzling first leg. She said after: “I definitely trust Michelle, I knew that once I held by own and once I handed over the stick to Michele, it was all going to be okay.

Once they all got the sticks around the track, so I just felt that, the trust was there within all of us, we are comfortable with each other, nobody doubts anyone fitness and foot speed at this point, so we were just happy, that we were able to put it together, because it is tough, it is tough, to run a relay when you have not been practicing all year, so we came here since the 14th and we have been trying to work on our passes and I am just glad that it all worked out in the end.”

After the race Lee Ayhe said, “I am so happy, at the moment, my first World Championships and we have won a medal, it gives me energy to want to do more.” Reyare Thomas, who ran the third leg revealed: “It feel great to know that we come out here with a medal today. I ran okay enough that we were able to stay in the medal position.” 

Hackett, who anchored the team said: “I want to say, is that I am here with my friends and them. I think each person held their own, and gave 100 per cent and our baton passing was good enough to make us come third, because everybody trust each other and gave it their best. This team is going to Rio.”

Baptiste paid complements to national coach and former olympian Ato Boldon. She said: “I definitely think, that Ato (Boldon) deciding to get on board in the first place helped us a lot, he has a lot of confidence in us and he told us that before the heats, that he believes this team can break the national record and after that he has said he believes that this team can go below 42 seconds, it did not happen but we were very close to 41, but I just think, his input definitely helped us all during this time.”

She continued: “Khalifa St Fort, the youngest and newest team member, is an up and coming athlete, we are happy for her and she held her own, and she seems like a very mature athlete and we are just excited by where sprinting is going right now.” The full 4x100 metres team comprises Reyare Thomas; Kelly Ann Baptiste; Semoy Hackett; Khalifa St Fort; Kamaria Durant; Michelle Lee Ahye and Ato Boldon, who the team’s sprint coach. 

The National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) has send congratulations to the team for breaking the national record twice and becoming the first group of women runners to win a relay medal. The NAAA also congratulated the entire coaching staff of Dr Ian Hypolite, Ato Boldon and Gunness Persad, who worked closely with the athletes in achieving their goals.

...Going For 4x400m relay gold
The national 4x400 metres relay sqaud of Renny Quow, Jarrin Solomon, Deon Lendore and Lalonde Gordon qualified for today’s final which will take place at 8.25 am (TT Time). The four-some posted a qualifying time and season’s best 2:58.67 seconds. They finished second to the Americans in heat two and and second overall of the eight finalists and will challenge for the gold medal from Lane 4.

Running in heat semi-final two, and from the dreaded Lane 2 in a race that included the USA and Jamaica Quow ran the opening leg, but he admitted to the Trinidad Guardian.” We were just to far down behind, I was just not feeling it today, but we we were able to go through because we had a strong team and we can always make it up because if one mess up the others can come through, so today was not my day, but I will be alright tomorrow.” 

Solomon loves to run the second leg, but had some work to do receiving the baton in last position and he said: “I love to break and cut into the field from the second leg, we did not get off to the best start but that is why we have four legs. Everyone is going to come at their best in the finals, so we are not taking anything for granted, however we expect the usual four of USA, Jamaica and Great Britain to be in the battle for the medals.”

Lendore who has been affected by injury over the last few months and ran the third leg, was able to claw into his opponents lead and hand over the baton in third position ,” I have been off the track for a while, so this run felt good and I needed this as well, the idea was always to just run and make it into the finals, and we have accomplished that.”

Double Olympic medallist Gordon produced one of the runs of his life as he propelled T&T into second position, after one stage being in fourth with 150 metres to race. “It was a good leg, a little messy from a few of the front runners, there was a lot of shoving, but I stayed focus and pulled us through,” Gordon explained.

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