Team TTO | Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee | teamtto.org

Dear Affiliates,
 
Reference is made to  pervious notice circulated August 5th, 2011 .
 
This is to confirm that the Council Meeting scheduled for Thursday 25th August, 2011 at the Olympic House will be held.  However, due to the  Limited State of Emergency the Meeting is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.
 
As you are all aware there is a 9:00pm -5:00am curfew in effect. In this regard, please make every effort to be on time so that the business of the meeting can be completed within a time frame that will allow everyone to reach home before 9:00 pm.
 
Affiliates who are participating in the upcoming Pan American Games  and Commonwealth Youth Games are  reminded to note that pursuant to the TTOC’s Constitution the General Council MUST ratify both  Teams.
 
 
 
Regards,
Brian Lewis
Hon. Secretary General
 
 
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee
121 Abercromby Street,
Port of Spain
Tel.: (868) 625-1285, 625-4380
Fax.: (868) 625-3049

There is so much that we take for granted. Every life lost and spared sends a lesson we would do well to heed. Last Saturday was a commonplace day here in T&T. A quick glance at the daily newspapers elicited a hopeless cry of: “Oh Lord!”  Seven shot dead screamed the headlines. Lord put a hand! What the hell is going on in this place? Can’t someone, anyone, cut the guns off at the source? But you also had to say a hopeful “Thank You God” on reading the news that Athens Olympic Games swimming bronze medalist George Bovell III had cheated death when he was involved in a smash up with a truck in Mayaro early Friday morning. Bovell is a role model for all of T&T—a young man of tremendous humility, class, courage and dignity and a credit to this country. A side effect of the lack of a systematic approach to sports development is that instead of cherishing those who achieve at the Olympic and World level there is the tendency to view them as no more than objects of jealousy and envy.

There is always some illogical utterance or simpleton reason to explain away their success and sometimes by persons you would least expect. If it is not the clock malfunctioning, it is snide rumours about performance enhancing drugs or prima donna behaviour. Everywhere else in the world, stars are cherished except here in T&T. It is amazing the successes this country has got, considering the crap that goes on, imagine what we could do with a clear strategy and vision. If only we would take a break from the concept of “us” and “them.” The sad thing is that a dollop of common sense and honourable behaviour is all that is needed for us to head in the right direction. Uppermost in many people’s minds are the crimes and murders; sport is for many a minor concern. T&T is faced with huge problems and a lot of conflict. How do we turn negatives into positives? What will it take for us to get our act together?

In the absence of an environment where everyone is working together, it’s hard to turn things around.
There is a need to actually start to concentrate on what is important to us all, and that’s the nation. There is a term used in sport parlance “head down” as in head down coaching. This head down approach is stagnating continuous improvement and it is not limited to sport. Head down has infected every domain of life here in T&T. There are many talented people willing to volunteer and work within our communities, and yet all they are doing is talking politics instead of doing what needs to be done. Our young people need nurturing. Adults need mentoring. Our old people need somebody. We all need each other; we can’t do it by ourselves. Bovell is still with us and a bright light for some to follow, sadly, however there are others for whom the darkness brings joy. Then came Sunday and the announcement of a limited State of Emergency aimed at rounding up the foot soldiers engaged in the criminal activity. Sporting activities will suffer some inconvenience but that is a small price to pay for the greater good. The only wish would be that at some time during the next 15 days the big money people and facilitators of the guns and drugs would be caught along with the foot soldiers. If we could only see the forest through the trees.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Brian Lewis

T&T’s Njisane Phillip won his second gold medal of the inaugural US Grand Prix of Sprinting when he took the Keirin at the 7-Eleven Velodrome in Colorado Springs on Sunday night. Phillip had earlier set a new national and venue records in the Match Sprint heats (9.91) on Saturday before going on to win the final. In other cycling news, Quincy Alexander finished 37th overall in the Keirin at the Junior World Championships in Moscow, Russia on Sunday.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Two students, one each from East Mucurapo Secondary and Toco Secondary, will join hundreds of others from around the world at the September 1-4 UK School Games, in Sheffield, England, as part of London's 2012 International Inspiration programme.
T&T's delegation also includes teacher Patricia Elliot, who will be accompanying the 15-year-old students, Sebastian Hectora and Eleisha Serapio. The students will be working as volunteers at the UK School Games.
The UK School Games is a multi-sport event for 1,600 elite athletes of school age, who will be competing in ten sports. The competition includes disability events in athletics, swimming and table tennis. The event will be emulating the environment of the Olympics, with opening and closing ceremonies as well as an athletes' village.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

August 21 - London's bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships will face strong opposition from Barcelona after the Real Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA) revealed here today that they were putting forward the host city of the 1992 Olympics and Paralympics as its candidate.

London, whose bid has been dogged since it was launched by doubts about the future of the Olympic Stadium after next year's Games, was already facing stiff opposition from Doha.

It was confirmed during a meeting of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruling Council here in South Korea that there will be three cities bidding to host the Championships after the Hungarian capital Budapest officially withdrew its candidature, as had been widely expected.

Barcelona staged one of the most successful Olympics in history at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where the winners included Britain's Linford Christie in the 100 metres and Sally Gunnell in the 400m hurdles.

Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city and Barcelona's bid for the 1936 Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin, it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Games

The venue, which is located in the Anella Olímpica, in Montjuïc, a large hill to the southwest of the city which overlooks the harbour, marked the last appearance by Sebastian Coe in a British vest when the former Olympic double champion won the silver medal in the 1500m at the IAAF World Cup, a race won by Somalia's Abdi Bile.

Coe will be leading London's bid for 2017 as he tries to repeat the successful campaign that saw him bring the Olympics and Paralympics to the capital.

In Barcelona's favour is that the Stadium, which now has a reduced capacity of 56,000, hosted last year's memorable European Championships where the star was France's Christophe Lemaitre (below), who won three gold medals, including completing the 100m and 200m double, on the distnictive blue track.

But counting against Spain is that it has hosted the World Championships already - when Seville staged it in 1997 - while Britain and Doha have not.

A decision on which city should host the event will be made by the IAAF Council at its meeting in Monte Carlo on November 12.

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

By Duncan Mackay

Dwain Chambers, whose sprinting career remains blighted by his two-year doping ban in 2003, has backed the introduction of mandatory blood tests at the forthcoming World Championships and called for more frequent drug tests in and out of competition to ensure a level playing field.
The championships, which open in Daegu on Friday, have been overshadowed by the recent positive drug tests recorded by Jamaican Steve Mullings, the third fastest man in the world this year, and the American Mike Rodgers, who is equal fourth in the world rankings.

Mullings was due to face a disciplinary hearing in Jamaica on Monday after testing positive for Furosemide, a diuretic that can be used as a masking agent, while Rodgers has been provisionally suspended for failing a drug test for the stimulant methylhexaneamine.

Both men have protested their innocence, as Chambers did after he was revealed to have tested positive for the designer steroid THG shortly after the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

Since his return to competition the Londoner has openly confessed his guilt and delivered lectures to students on the perils of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

“For my part I would welcome more frequent and rigorous testing in championships and off season and after I learnt my lesson I hoped that a lot more athletes would,” Chambers said on Monday from the Great Britain team’s training camp in Ulsan, South Korea.

“I can only concentrate on myself and do the best I can as a clean athlete and remain positive and go for the opportunities that are available.”

Asked whether he supported the decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations to take blood samples from every athlete competing in Daegu, Chambers said: “Yes, I welcome that. I think it’s a good introduction to major championships. It levels the playing field out and it is best overall for all athletes.”

Chambers has paid a heavy price for his own transgression, having been ostracised from the world’s major meets and banned for life by competing for Britain at the Olympic Games.

With London 2012 off limits, the World Championships are the biggest stage available to him and, at 33, the event in Daegu could be his last opportunity to compete outdoors at a global level.

The struggles of Usain Bolt this season have left the 100 metres looking far more open than it was two years ago when the triple Olympic champion broke his own world record in Berlin. But Chambers, who had the perfect view of Bolt’s history-making performance as he took sixth place in the final, has no doubt that Bolt remains the man to beat.

“Usain has shown this season that he is a human being,” he said. “This guy has been dominant in ways that were unmanageable to us as athletes, but the fact he has not been on top form does not put any doubts in my mind. He’s still the No 1 contender.”

Meanwhile, Yamile Aldama, the Cuban-born triple jumper who switched her allegiance to Sudan before switching again to Britain believes she has every right to compete for the country that has been her home for the last 10 years.

The 39 year-old has been accused of being another “plastic Brit”, following in the footsteps American-born Tiffany Porter and Shana Cox and Anguillan Shara Proctor in switching to Britain just in time for the London Olympics.

But Aldama, who will make her British debut in Daegu, says she feels proud to compete for Britain, having lived in north London for a decade and having trained with British coach Frank Attoh.

“England is where I live, my kids are British and I think I have the right to compete for GB,” she said.

“I didn’t come to this country to do bad things. All I bring is good things — compete for my club, teach kids at my club, support my team-mates. All I am doing is giving, so I think it is my time to take something.”

Aldama, who finished fourth for Cuba at the 2000 Olympics, arrived in Britain in 2001 to marry a Scot. She had hoped to compete for Britain at the 2004 Athens Games but switched allegiance to Sudan after the Home Office refused to rush through a British passport. She continued to compete for Sudan until 2010 but became eligible for Britain just days before the GB team for Daegu was selected.

“It is not for me to judge on the nationality debate,” she said. “Everyone has different opinions. I think of course where you are born is very important for your family and culture. But if you move to a place where you are based there and do everything there, then it is right for you to compete for that country.”

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

OLYMPIC BRONZE medallist George Bovell III was discharged from the St Clair Medical Centre, yesterday.

The former Sportsman of the Year crashed his BMW car in an accident while on his way to spearfish at an oil platform in Mayaro on Friday. Bovell was in the Manzanilla area at about 7.05 am when his car collided with a truck proceeding in the opposite direction.

He was diagnosed with a concussion and was rushed to the Sangre Grande Hospital where he was stablised before being moved to the St Clair Medical Centre where neurosurgeons conducted further tests.

Sports Minister, Anil Roberts who is also Bovell’s coach, confirmed that Bovell experienced a bad headache, but predicted that he will make a full recovery with sufficient rest. The 28-year-old is expected to resume training for the forthcoming Pan American Games tone held in Mexico in October.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

TRINIDAD AND Tobago skipper Daren Ganga emphasised that the national team has the depth to compensate for the loss of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard for the forthcoming Nokia Champions League T20 in India next month.

“Categorically speaking, the national team isn’t centred around one or two players, and that is how we play cricket. We play as a team and a unit. There are no stars on our team, with all due respect to Kieron and Dwayne, as they’ve done remarkably well for TT. We will miss their services but at the end of the day, we have players who are willing to step up and perform the particular roles we require as a team to get the job done,” said Ganga.

The “Red Force” captain contended that the end result for the team is much bigger than the individual performances and that management are eyeing a well-molded, unified performance to achieve full success. With respect to the preparations for the forthcoming Champions League, Ganga confirmed that in the interim, they are preparing for a potential mini-tour to Guyana, coupled with the Balls of Fire match.

He reiterated, with respect to their on-the-field aspect of the game, “We’re working on a couple of things. This is an opportunity for the technical team and the players to sit down and look at areas for improvement. There’s a lot of specialised work happening right now in our downtime.

“We’re training a lot in the field. Match simulations with respect to chasing targets, setting our own targets, spot-bowling and strategic analysis are things that we have to lay the foundation down for. We must do this prior to the tournament so that we can enter on auto-pilot and hit the ground running in India.”

Ganga also heaped praise on the technical staff’s ability and succinct, planned structure to work with and optimise the individual characteristics and strengths of the players.

The captain also hailed the return of key bowlers, Kevon Cooper and Sunil Narine, following their trip to Australia to analyse their bowling actions. Ganga confirmed they were in the all-clear after the remedial works and testings and they were now looking to soldier on with two of their biggest bowling assets.

“These gents were instrumental when we won the Caribbean title in Barbados and we are ecstatic to have these young players back. They want to lead us to victory and no doubt they will step up as they have huge impacts in terms of our team performances. They are hungry for success, as is the entire team,” Ganga noted.

When asked about the new funding boost from the Government, Ganga admitted that mini-tournaments against high quality international opposition would be essential on the agenda and a welcomed venture into exposing and lifting the games of the younger players coming into the foray.

“I’ve always advocated playing against competitive Test-ranked teams and ICC teams. Also, I’ve always tried to maintain dialogue with the TTCB with respect to playing reputable teams for our own cricketing benefit. The challenge with that scheme however, is the scheduling problems, as such teams and players are either on a season-break or caught up in international cricket. It is difficult to get such scheduling at our convenience.”

Ganga admitted they were on course in their preparations and goals, while confirming the team was high in self-belief and confidence.

“Our focus is now two-phased with respect to fine-tuning as a team, and also playing the right amount of competitive games without burning ourselves out. We don’t want to enter the tournament jaded so it’s all about finding that right balance at the moment,” he added.

Ganga allayed concerns voiced by fans with his disposition that the forthcoming T20 qualifiers against Sri Lankan and English opposition were not as high-pressured as many assume.

He recalled that TT faced a similar scenario in 2009 en route to finishing second at that T20 tournament. The combative, yet critical-thinking skipper, reaffirmed that these qualifiers were just another part of the tournament and reassured that no matter what round of matches they are encompassed in, they have set out to overcome all opposition.

“Our mentality is to decimate all. That is the sort of prowess, fearlessness and ruthlessness we have inculcated in our mindsets. That is where our focus lies in our preparations,” said Ganga.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

Four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon  is throwing his support behind local sprinters Kelly Ann Baptiste and Richard Thompson to win gold medals at the 13th IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships which get underway at the Daegu Stadium in Daegu on Saturday (Friday night TT time). Boldon believes the speed duo can return home with the top honours in the women’s and men’s 100m events. The 2007 World 200m champion explained that given Baptiste’s run of outstanding performances in 2011 and Thompson’s national record run of 9.85 which gave him his third national title two weeks ago, there is every reason to be optimistic.
“If Kelly goes and runs the race that I think that she is capable of, she has a very good chance not just to medal but to win. I don’t think many people are aware that in her entire season this year she has not finished lower than second.”

Baptiste has beaten Jamaica’s Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (100) and Veronica Campbell-Brown (200) in her build up to Daegu. Boldon said if Thompson can reproduce the form in racing to his third national title he will be a strong contender for the gold medal. “If Richard runs the way he ran at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, he has a chance of not only winning a medal but to be world champion. Only Asafa Powell (Jamaica) is ahead of him on the world list (9.78).” Boldon said he was not shocked at Thompson’s record run. “It was not much of a surprise for me. It was a fantastic run. He has not run under ten seconds since 2009.” The 1992 CAC Junior sprint king is also upbeat about this country’s chances in the sprint relays. “It will be competitive as usual. Jamaica will be hard to beat but in the relays as we have seen in the past, anything could happen, people step the lines, the stick is dropped. All sort of drama could take place.”

The 1996 NCAA champion added that Thompson’s 9.85  run was to  remind the country of his class. “I spoke with him before he came to Trinidad and I told him that he had to remind the people who he is. With Darrel Brown on the comeback and with talk that Keston Bledman or Emmanuel Callender would win, Richard and his camp felt slighted.” Boldon explained that with the 9.85 clocking the expectations of Thompson will now be greater. “That performance will now put pressure on him as he now has the second quickest time going into Daegu.  American Michael Rogers is not competing (he withdrew from the US team after testing positive for a banned substance) and Steve Mullings of Jamaica will not be there, after he also tested positive.

On Thompson’s quick run two weeks before the World Championships Boldon believe that the 9.85 dash will inspire him. “It is a blessing because Richard’s confidence is sky high right now. He just ran a personal best and there are a few athletes in the top ranks who can claim that.” Boldon, who will be in Daegu doing television commentary for American TV NBC, explained that the Cascade sprinter will have to prove that his run was not a fluke as there are persons who have  questioned the validity of the timing. “I am a little surprised about the concerns I am hearing. I must add that I have my doubts because of previous racings here. Daegu will prove a lot. If he goes and run 10 flat people will say something was wrong with the clock. If he runs 9.8 or 9.7 then he would validate the time he ran.”

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Clayton Clarke

Asafa Powell smiles a long, slow smile. The 28-year-old who made Jamaica synonymous with world-class sprinting when he broke the 100 metres world record in 2005 has been out of the spotlight for three long years. In that time he has watched as his rival and friend Usain Bolt achieved extraordinary things and became a global superstar.
Now, though, Powell is back at his best. He is ranked No1 in the world this year and his best time of 9.78sec is a whole tenth of a second faster than Bolt's. For the first time in a long time Powell takes centre stage as the world championships loom.
"Yes, it's been a while," says the Jamaican, slowly unfolding his arms and speaking in his lovely languid manner he is known for, "but I'd say everyone should just take the camera off me and put it back on Usain. Just not focus too much on me; I need my time to breathe, to focus on myself and what I'm supposed to do. I'm happy to be out of it. I'll just put myself back in when I'm ready."
It is an interesting proposition for a sprinter to shun the limelight. But then Powell is a man who has always described himself as shy, who could never relate to the macho start-line antics of a swaggering Maurice Greene. "That tongue thing," says Powell, screwing up his face. "I always thought: 'Why's he so cocky?'" He laughs. "It's all a mind game, trying to get yourself in a different zone."
Powell has his own mind game to play. It has nothing to do with clowning around on the start line and everything to do with knowing his biggest competitor inside out. As friend, confidant and adviser to the fastest man in history, Powell has watched Bolt grow as a person and an athlete. Of all the sprinters who will line up in the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, this month, Powell feels he is the only one truly to know Bolt's achilles heel.
Leaning in confidentially, he lowers his voice and lets out an extraordinary secret. "I think in the entire world I'm the only person that has always scared him [Bolt]," says Powell, pausing to allow the strength of those words to sink in. "He's always been telling me that over the years. I get the truth out of him when he drinks a bit. He gets a bit tipsy and he's like [adopts a slurring voice]: 'Asafa, you're the only man in the world I think can beat me.'" He leans back in his chair and smiles.
"He first told me that in 2008," Powell says. Before he broke the world record? "After. Just before the Olympics. He'd just run 9.72. He said: 'You're the only man in the world who I think can beat me.'"
It is quite a confession but Powell plays it cool. "I was like, in my head: 'I know that,'" he says, giggling. "But you know I really have a lot of respect for him and he has a lot of respect for me as well. So for him to really come to me and tell me that I was the one who motivated him to start running the 100m and that he respects me a lot – he always tells me that – I have a lot of respect for him."
The respect has always been mutual. In the early days it was Powell who advised Bolt, four years his junior and finding his way on the track, as he struggled with injury and critical public opinion. Meanwhile Powell set the world alight – the first Jamaican to break the 100m world record when he bettered Tim Montgomery's 1992 mark in 2005 to 9.77, improving that to 9.74 in 2007. In those days it was always Powell's face that was plastered across the billboards on the island.
"I was the man in Jamaica," he nods. "Then Usain came along. But in Jamaica people are happy to say that I'm the one who really caused all this; if it wasn't for me, there wouldn't have been a Usain. So everyone still has me as the man in Jamaica." Powell denies that sliding out of the limelight as Bolt captured the world record in 2008 caused him any upset. "It wasn't hard for me. I'm quite a person who gives respect when it's due."
Even so it must have hurt him when the world continually looked to the American Tyson Gay – the last man to defeat the world record holder, in Stockholm last year – as the man to take on Bolt? He shakes his head. "I knew that people were saying it was all about Usain versus Tyson but I don't really care about that. On paper they are the two fastest in the world. But in reality I think I'm the man to really go out and do it."
Bolt, unbeaten this season although running substantially slower than his world record-breaking time in 2009, cannot be ruled out of mounting a serious defence of his world titles. The rest of the world's fastest men, however, are dropping like flies. With Gay out of the running, due to injury, athletics took a major blow last week when it was revealed that the third- and fourth-fastest men this year – Jamaica's Steve Mullings and Mike Rodgers of the US – had tested positive for banned substances. Neither will travel to Daegu, leaving a depleted field of only Powell, Michael Frater and Bolt from the world's top six fastest this year. Bolt aside, though, only one man really stands in the way of Powell claiming his first major title; Powell himself.
For the minister's son the start line at a major championship has always been a place racked with nerves and stress, the ultimate barrier to an athlete who held the world record for three years but has never won an individual world or Olympic title. Labelled a choker, he seemed for many years to believe it.
Two years ago his coach, Stephen Francis, decided something had to change. Francis had seen enough of Powell, a man he knew as relaxed and happy, turning into a nervous wreck in the blocks. "He said: 'Lighten up,'" Powell recalls. "He said: 'Everything just changes [when you go on the track], you look different, your eyes are red' – because I was so nervous. I actually knew everything he was telling me but I didn't know what to do to really avoid getting so nervous and really thinking about the outcome of everything so much."
As he describes his thoughts at the start of a race, Powell paints a picture of a busy mind, vulnerable to distractions. What does he think about? Powell's eyes glaze over in a daydream. "Engines," he says. "I think about cars to try and distract myself. It's a good way to relax, take your mind off everything. I think about what to do next, what part am I going to buy for this car, where to get it from."
Overcoming the psychology is proving a difficult habit to kick. When Powell raced Bolt in Rome at the start of the season he was ahead until the finish line, where Bolt stole a minuscule 0.02 to claim the victory. Afterwards Powell looked distraught. But it was painfully evident why he had lost, his head – rather than his legs – failing him in those final strides. Powell nods. "That race was all my fault," he says. "I got very excited – when I got halfway in the race I was like: 'Where is Usain?'" He motions looking around. "I was the one who brought him back into my race."
Squirming, Powell admits he could do more still to win. "Sometimes I'm at home and I remember I'm supposed to do 100 push-ups and I don't. Sometimes my coach will call me and say: 'Asafa, you done your exercises?' and I'd say: 'Yes, coach,' and then after I start doing them. Sometimes I'm training and I just want to go home and work on an engine. Sometimes I'll be working on an engine and just miss practice. Or go to the beach. I know, I'm like a kid. Maybe I was a bit too spoilt growing up. Everything just came like I wanted it to."
In recent years nothing has come like he has wanted it to. Powell may smile and say that the girls love him more than Usain – no matter who runs faster – but he feels the pressure of the Jamaican public. "Everyone says: 'When are you going to break the world record? When are you going to win?'"
Asked if he thinks he can beat Bolt in Daegu, Powell is suddenly vague. "I have no idea. I don't know what kind of shape he's in, I don't know what he's doing in training," he says, waving away the question. But when the focus returns to him alone, on the subject of whether he feels ready finally to win a major gold medal, he is more forthcoming. "Yes," he says, emphatically. "I've been starving myself for nine years. I'm ready to win."
He sits back in his chair and looks serious. "I've waited too long," he says, "too, too long. I am the most hungry person out there."

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

By Anna Kessel

The T&T cyclist shattered the 7-Eleven Velodrome record as well as his country’s record for the Flying 200m time trial yesterday at the inaugural US Grand Prix of Sprinting, clocking 9.91 seconds to break the mark of 10.092 seconds set by Marty Nothstein in 2000. Njisane Phillip, 20, also eclipsed his comrade Christopher Sellier’s mark of 10.10. Earlier this year, he became the first rider to dip under the 11-second barrier in T&T, at 10.71 seconds on a sea-level track that’s much slower than the 29-year-old track in Memorial Park. Jimmy Watkins has the US record, at 9.876 seconds, and Kevin Sireau of France holds the world record, at 9.572 seconds.

Phillip’s feat came against a loaded field representing eight nations, with T&T joined by Armenia, Australia, Canada, Colombia, the Netherlands, Venezuela and the US. It’s the first international track cycling event in Colorado Springs since a World Cup in 1993, and riders in the keirin, sprint and team sprint include three-time Olympic medalist Anna Meares of Australia and three-time world champion Teun Mulder of the Netherlands. The BMW-sponsored competition ends today, with qualification at 9 am and finals at 7 pm.

The 2010 Pan American junior champion, Phillip is hoping to make his Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, having recovered from a broken collarbone that he suffered in a keirin wipeout in January. He competes under former US national team coach Desmond Dickie, with intentions of racing at the Pan American Games in October in Guadalajara, Mexico – a primer for the four-stop World Cup series that begins in November. T&T manager Peter Maharaj wasn’t surprised by Phillip because “everything we’ve done in the past four months has been a proper foundation.” For a record, Maharaj said, “It’s all part of execution. The kid comes with a good mindset. He’s so talented on race day. He can live in the moment and handle stress.”

Race director Pat McDonough also wasn’t stunned by Phillip, saying “sprinters are all about intensity…They have two speeds, off and on.” Phillip called his record-setting run a “perfect ride,” noting his line was “pretty good.” It helped that he was going strong Friday in 100-metre training, and he maintains the record shows “a lot of progress within the last year – the power, the confidence. It has just been a big transformation.” He added, “Now I know that my programme is working…Last year, I had a pretty bad year. This year, I’m just confident. This is my year.”

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

The world of Rugby has received a massive boost with the IRB's announcement that the HSBC Sevens World Series will comprise not eight, but nine rounds in the 2011/12 season.Japan's capital Tokyo has joined rugby's only global grand prix-style event and the IRB's Chief Executive Mike Miller has been among the first to celebrate the expansion.
 
"I think Japan coming on board is great news for all of Rugby. Asia is very important, not just for the IRB and Rugby but for all sports. It has a huge population centre, a lot of the young people in the world are in Asia and there is a growing population and growing economy," Miller told Total Rugby.
 
"Japan is a big rugby country, we have Rugby World Cup 2019 there as well and they have wanted to have a Sevens tournament for some time. We are sure they will do a really good job and I think having an HSBC Sevens World Series event in Tokyo will be a really good addition to the Series.
 
"The world in terms of sport is shifting to Asia, so it is important that Rugby has a share of people who are playing and watching the sport. To have another event in Asia is very important for the growth, not just of Sevens, but also for 15s rugby.
 
"Japan will bring a never-say-die attitude and they are very good at organising. People will have a great time in Tokyo, it is another interesting venue for those who travel around and follow the Series and the teams will have a good time as well.
"The Japanese are determined to raise their level in the international Game. They have a thriving domestic league and have a very good game at University and College level but they have known for the last couple of years they need to raise their game at the international level and I think this will help them do that."
In 2019 Japan will become the first Asian nation to host rugby's biggest event, the Rugby World Cup. According to Miller, hosting a round of the world-renowned Sevens Series is another solid step en route to that giant undertaking.
 
"It is helpful for the Japan RFU and the people who will be involved in planning for Rugby World Cup 2019. It gives them the chance to test out procedures, to build up professionalism in lots of different areas and to train up a bigger group of people, because running a World Cup takes a lot of people and a lot of experience," he added.
 
"Yes they can get experience from around the world but what you want is to set up a legacy so that once Rugby World Cup is finished you have that extra knowledge back home. Sevens is not the same as running 48 matches over 44 days, but having an HSBC Sevens World Series event will help in building up that knowledge base."
 
Miller is also bullish about the continued expansion of the HSBC Sevens World Series over the coming years.
 
"There are a lot of cities and countries that have been in touch with us who want to host events and so I think that the sky is the limit. The Series is very popular and we have seen record broadcast figures. It will continue to grow and once we are in the Olympics it will just take off. We will see how things go."

SUNIL CHHETRI is looking forward to tomorrow’s friendly international football contest between India and hosts Trinidad and Tobago at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo which starts at 5pm.

The 27-year-old Indian striker told Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) media yesterday, “we are very excited. It’s a very big match. It’s not everyday we play teams higher ranked than us. It’s going to be a good test.”

The Indian squad, who are on a two-game tour of the Caribbean are due to face Guyana on August 26. They trained at the Fatima College Ground in Mucurapo on Thursday, hours after arriving in Trinidad.

They were expected to oppose Barbados in Bridgetown on Wednesday but the game was postponed for “unexpected” reasons.

“It’s been a long national camp for a month-and-a-half and it’s a good way to see where we’ve reached. I’m looking forward to it as a player and the whole team is anticipating the match,” said Chhetri, who had a brief stint with American Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Kansas City Wizards in 2010.

Comparing both Trinidad and Tobago and his native India, Chhetri noted, “there are a lot of similarities and ties historically. A lot of things are identical in this country and ours. We have been very well welcomed in this country and it feels good when you are welcomed properly.

“At the end of the day what really matters is the match and I’m sure it’s going to be a great match. India will definitely give 100 percent,” he added.

“That’s what football is all about, it doesn’t matter what I do on the field but instead what is more important is how the team does. I hope we can gel properly, play as a team and play good football,” said Chhetri.

Since making his international debut in 2004, he has netted 24 times in 50 games.

And Chhetri is pleased with the growth of the sport in India.

“This is a good way to tell the fans that India can play football. They will be amazed at the development and to see the amount of kids that play football in our country.

“It’s the most played game in our country even though the most important and famous game is cricket. Football needs no introduction whether it be in Trinidad and Tobago or India,” he ended.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

Impressive sprints…yes…beyond that…what else? Richard Thompson’s run of 9.85 seconds was not doubt the highlight of the Sagicor National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAA) Track and Field Championships held last week at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. After much speculation over his participation, the double Olympic silver medallist responded with a national record run which pushed the former Queen’s Royal College student ahead of local sprint icon Ato Boldon and into world top ten on the all-time list. He is now joint ninth with Americans Leroy Burrell (former World record holder), Justin Gatlin (2004 Olympic champion) and Nigerian Olusoji Fasuba. Thompson whipped a quality field while Semoy Hackett captured the women’s title from teenagers Kai Selvon and Michelle Lee Ahye.

Rondel Sorillo blitzed to a stunning 20.16 in the men’s half lap, a time only bettered by Ato Boldon (19.77) and Aaron Armstrong (20.08 as an American citizen). Selvon took her first senior national 200m in 23.27. Reigning World Championships bronze medallist Renny Quow shrugged off a belated denial of a bye to take his fifth national 400m title in 45.89. Beyond the 100m and men’s 200m the turn-out of athletes is a cause of concern. The women’s 200m was a straight final with six entrants, two of which were foreign athletes. The women’s one lap could only attract four entrants which included one foreigner.

Jehue Gordon hurdled his way in contention for the World Championships with a season’s best of 48.75 in the men’s 400m hurdles beat three other competitors (including one from Puerto Rico and the other from the US Virgin Islands). Janeil Bellille seemed to have convinced her club-mate Ramona Modeste to enter the women’s 400m hurdles to get some competition. Quincy Wilson was impressive with his national record throw in the men’s discus even though he was the lone competitor. The men’s 800m was a straight finals and there were no more than six entrants in all the other track races. In the 110m hurdles field half of the six man field were non-nationals.

The women’s 800 and 1500m featured two runners. The men’s metric mile-six, 5000m-three, the women’s 4x100m-two (one foreign) and no teams in the 4x400m relays. The field events had similar single-digit numbers. The women’s javelin and shot finals saw the highest turnout-six, while the men’s long jump with three visiting competitors had nine entries in total. There were no entries in the women’s 100m hurdles, high jump and 3,000m events. There has been much talk about the throws and hurdles programmes by the NAAA which president Ephraime Serrette has been praising at every chance he gets. What is happening with the programmes? The figures speak for itself.

The omission of several athletes who have attained qualifying marks needs explanation. Most noticeably is Darryl Brown, the 2003 World Championships 100m runnerup and three-time 4x100m silver medallist. One wonders what was the reason behind his bye-pass.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Clayton Clarke

I preface this most deserving tribute to my friend Gregory Trujillo with a statement that has always been the driving force in my life. The statement gives me the passion in all of my life’s undertakings—it reads—“The hunger for love is greater than the hunger for food” (Mother Theresa). To feel loved, appreciated, and cared for without a need to reciprocate or repay, yields ominous joy and a conviction that the recipient contributes, thrives, and conquers. That is what this tribute is all about. The decades of the 60s and 70s produced a foray of formidable football fellows in T&T. They developed their skills, love and passion for the game in high school and club rivalries that our nation has been unable to reproduce in the 40-to-50 years since. Gregory Trujillo was one of those players. A simple and humble person with an engaging smile who, in his playing days followed by his days as a sports journalist with the Trinidad Guardian, did what he could to always promote football and the qualities that made fine men in T&T.
Gregory left this life last June 30. When he had called me to tell me about his illness, we shared a silence across the ocean that separated us, he in T&T and I, in St Louis, Missouri.

The mutual silence marked our reminiscing of the years we had played together, our off-the field encounters, and sharing when I coached national and local club football in Trinidad and abroad. During our call we talked finances, medication, personnel involved, and related ergonomics that were associated with his new challenge. He was not full-time employed and his hospitalisation made matters challenging. There, a thought surfaced and I told him that I would get back to him on it. We spoke of his two children, Dario and Rosario, and, I obtained their phone numbers for further contact. In discussing the personnel involved, I learnt that my good friend Dr Alvin Henderson was involved with his case, and that pleased me. As Gregory requested, we prayed on the phone and I asked God to increase my understanding in matters as this, as my friend was hurting. He concluded, “Hanni, I love you man”, words that still soothe my ears and bring peace to my spirit. “Love you too Gregory, even if you belonged to the other Saints”—Belmont, not St Mary’s—we chuckled at this tease.

Acting on the “thought” that surfaced during that phone call, I spoke to my good friend, Mr Norman Sabga of the ANSA-McAL Group, and asked him to contact Gregory. Norman delivered on his word encouraging Gregory and expressing gratitude for his service to the company. Gregory called me to tell me how happy Norman’s call made him. A few days later, as Gregory prepared for surgery, I spoke with Rosario at the hospital and she told me that he was in such good spirits. I write this article as a tribute to Gregory and a fading era in T&T football. CIC and Belmont, a rivalry built on a love for life and the game, respect and a desire to excel and exceed, and, a need to play against and beat the best to become the best. It was an era in which we did not just shrug off losses, but one that epitomised the ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat because we appreciated the quality of the “opposition.” Just today, as we put Gregory’s remains (ashes) to rest at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery, Kelvin “Skippy” Lawrence and Brian Trujillo (Belmont), and Ian “Charla” Dore and myself (CIC) and daughter, two sisters, wife, and mother, stood side-by-side respecting the near, unconquerable opposition of death.

Yes, 1960’s and 1970’s CIC and Belmont (and QRC)—an Intercol and League rivalry that recognised that bragging rights require you to play and beat the best. Alvin Henderson, Ian Bain, and Michael Cooper, Steve Waldron, Russell Teixeira, Wayne Dopson, and Mark Kendal (CIC) and, Winfield St Hill, George Romano, Gordon Husbands, Kelvin “Skippy” Lawrence, and Ian “Phil” Garcia (Belmont) did; Trevor Leiba, Luciano Woodley (CIC) and Wayne Lewis and Brian Trujillo (Belmont) did; and though I was an active “Fellow” of the earlier-mentioned CIC teams, I cherish isolating the next matching pair—Hannibal Najjar (CIC) and Gregory Trujillo (Belmont) did. Apologies are extended to all those “Fellows” that were not mentioned in this tribute—unquestionably, you have all made Trojan’s contributions to this game, country, and “love affair”. Thank you Belmont! As this photo of our 2007 Old Boys Ash Wednesday match reminds me, young men or older, we love the beautiful game. Thank you for your gentle-spiritedness and laughter and for our meaningful discussions that we always shared, as one might imagine was taking place from the looks of this photo. Gregory Trujillo, you will be missed for I believe that you and the entire Trujillo clan lived out the Bible verse of Micah 6:8, that we “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God”.
I hope that I have not caused you hurt or disappointment in our times spent together. Thank you Gregory!

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Hannibal Najjar

Top ranked UCI world junior Match Sprint cyclist Quincy Alexander made T&T proud on Thursday evening as he set a new national record and placed sixth in the Kilometer Time Trial at the Junior World Cycling Championships in Moscow, Russia. He was the only Caribbean cyclist in the top ten, which also included riders from Europe, Australia, USA and Mexico.

The 18-year-old set a personal best time of 1:05.214, which outdid his time of 1:05.869 last year for which he had placed 14th. The youngster also placed 14th in the Flying 200m yesterday morning, setting another national record and personal best of 10.439 seconds. He improved two spots from his 16th place finish in the same event last year, in which he clocked 10.442. Alexander will next be in action for the Keirin tomorrow before returning home from his trip on Tuesday afternoon.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Olympic bronze medallist swimmer George Bovell III was briefly unconscious, after he was involved in an early-morning vehicular accident near the Manzanilla Secondary School yesterday. His coach, Sport Minister Anil Roberts said although Bovell was wearing his seat belt, his agility and physical strength saved him when he quickly pulled himself out the driver’s seat and over to the passenger’s side to avert the full impact of the collision. Bovell, 28, was on his way to meet a friend who is a professional diver in Mayaro. A statement from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs issued around 4 pm yesterday said a CAT scan was performed and Bovell’s family was awaiting the results at the St Clair Medical Centre where he was being treated.

It said: “All indications are that the swimmer’s brain function has not been affected by the impact he suffered in the vehicle.” Bovell was driving his father’s blue BMW 5 Series which “is in a terrible state,” Roberts said in an interview yesterday. Manzanilla police said Bovell was heading south along the Eastern Main Road when the vehicle picked up a skid while going around a corner. A cream Nissan dump truck driven by 22-year old Rakesh Moonilal was heading in the opposite direction. The two vehicles collided. Bovell was meeting his friend to free- dive in the south coast around an oil platform, Roberts said. Bovell represented T&T at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

He has captured five medals in the Pan American Games. His Web site says he is the fourth fastest man in history in the 50 metres freestyle. Roberts said Bovell’s head was “heavily bandaged” and that he received several stitches at the Sangre Grande Hospital. He said passers-by stopped to assist at the scene around 7 am and took him to the hospital. Bovell was subsequently taken to the St Clair facility via an EHS ambulance where he was treated by a neurosurgeon. Roberts, who visited the swimmer, said he believed he suffered a “slight concussion.” He said Bovell also had a laceration to the left ankle. Roberts said: “I left him resting comfortably at St Clair and a neurosurgeon is expected to assess him.
“He was unconscious for a while,” he added.

“He lost his memory about the event but after a couple hours, he was lucid and regained full memory about what happened.” Roberts said he saw Bovell on Thursday and he was in great spirits. According to Roberts, the swimmer tried to avoid colliding with the oncoming truck by pulling away, causing the driver’s side to take the impact. Roberts said Bovell acted quickly to save himself. No one else was injured in the accident. “He is OK and already talking about winning in the upcoming Pan American Games,” Roberts said. The minister praised all those who helped Bovell, saying: “I feel great knowing there are citizens who help people in need.” Roberts urged drivers to exercise caution on the roads.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Rhonda Krystal Rambally

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO'S RHEANN CHUNG staged a magnificent recovery to be crowned champion for the fourth time, but her step-father Dexter St Louis failed to capture his fifth crown when the 53rd Caribbean Table Tennis Championships concluded yesterday in Guyana.
After losing the first three games to a player who had beaten her in the team final, Chung was given no chance in the women's singles final against under-21 champ Eva Brito of Dominican Republic. But the France-based player refused to yield and, after dominating the fourth and fifth games, she displayed nerves of steel in two "deuce" games to complete the unbelievable victory 7-11, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 13-11, 12-10.
The 25-year-old Chung, who had combined with St Louis to win the mixed doubles title for the sixth time a couple days earlier, drew level with the veteran left-hander, who seemed on his way to his fifth singles crown when he edged Juan Vila 15-13 in the first game of the men's singles final.
The left-handed St Louis had already beaten Vila during the team final on Sunday, but the player from the Dominican Republic had the last laugh as he did not drop another game in prevailing 11-9, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8.
St Louis was also able to gain revenge as he defeated Emil Santos 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-2 in the semi-finals after going down against the Dominican Republic player in the team final.
T&T's Curtis Humphreys stunned everyone by reaching the last four, before the player who secured the doubles silver medal with France-based St Louis was then beaten 11-6, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 by Vila.
Chung, who picked up silver in doubles with nine-time national champ Aleena Edwards, halted Trenace Lowe 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 in the semis, after the player from Guyana had accounted for surprise quarter-finalist Ashley Quashie of T&T in five games.
Five-time national champ Reeza Burke went out in the "round of 16" against former champ Kevin Farley of Barbados, but Edwards, Michael Nanton and Linda Partap-Boodhan were eliminated at the round-robin group stage.
T&T were beaten by the Dominican Republic in both the men's and women's team finals on Sunday.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

By Shammi Kowlessar

Twenty-seven boys from the T&T Schools Rugby Football Union (TTSRFU) Under-17 division, left for Barbados yesterday to take part in a two-match Goodwill series. The squad featuring boys from Belmont Secondary, St Mary’s College, Fatima College, the International School of Port-of-Spain, St Anthony’s College,  St James Secondary, Tranquility Government Secondary and San Juan Secondary, will return to T&T on Monday.
The team is accompanied by managers Ronald Annandsingh and Graham Chin and coaches  Brendan O’Farrell and Peter Bacchus as well as physiotherapist  Rajesh Dharrie- Maharaj.
T&T Schools under 17 :
Shakeel Dyte, Brandon Greenidge, Quincy Mornix, Sebastian Navarro, Akash Bejai, Adam Camacho, Christian Chin, William Edghill, Ross Navarro, Moses Paul, Andrew Phillips, Hasani Rodney, Darnel Roper, Deion Smith, Guillermo Racero, Jonathan Blackburn, Sankara Daly, Marcus Daniel, Christian Modeste, Anderson Joseph, Joshua Seechan, Absalon Swann, Joshua Sylvester, Marlon Brown, Argus Des Vignes, Jimmel Doyle and Shakeel Pilgrim.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

The feedback from my last article titled “Careful of Those So-called Trainers” was quite interesting. To my surprise, there was much support and it seems that many people are frustrated by the lack of quality trainers and have become aware of the dangerous practices of unqualified individuals plying their fraudulent trade in gyms. Others, not quite as aware, still quietly noticed questionable activities but nonetheless continued to accept them, because “de trainer must know what he doing.” My inbox contained e-mails from professionals lamenting the grim situation, and from fitness enthusiasts seeking qualified trainers to help them reach their goals. Obviously this is a hot topic, with many questions, experiences and complaints; so I decided to research and delve a little deeper into what exactly is occurring and why these quacks are as rampant as mosquitoes in a dengue outbreak in the rainy season. Today, there is a huge demand for personal trainers. With society’s “thin-is-in” fixation, and with the explosion of the incidence of lifestyle conditions like diabetes and heart disease, the need to get fit and stay healthy is not only a matter of aesthetics, but one of life and death. Who better to serve that demand, than the personal trainer!

But demand does not warrant a supply of frauds and my research has led to some interesting stories and revelations that explain the current glut of incompetent trainers. I found out that it is exceptionally easy to masquerade as a trainer. I discovered that in many gyms, there is no effective screening process for what is called a “floor trainer,” the person who orients new persons to the gym, shows them how to use equipment, and assists people with exercises. If the gym has a vacancy and a buffed individual “applies,” he is simply shown how to use the machines and miraculously becomes a “floor trainer” despite the fact that he has no background in training principles or exercise prescription (don’t get me wrong, there are a few who have this background and are qualified). What then occurs, is that he begins “training” clients as he would train himself, without even taking a medical history. He begins prescribing bending and twisting exercises for osteoporotic Margaret who has low back pain because “he does do dem and dey does help his back.”

He sees Bob, a qualified personal trainer, giving his young athlete a complicated multi-directional medicine ball core movement, and repeats it with first-timer Jane, who has no control of her pelvis and trunk. So our floor trainer has gone from simply showing people how to operate machines to developing fitness programmes. Why shouldn’t he? After all, there is little supervision and no practice guidelines for such individuals. Floor trainers with no qualifications are attracted by the attention they receive from the gym goers. The questions about exercise programming, nutrition and muscles, the requests to “spot” (assist), all create a feeling of importance, feed the ego, and all too soon our floor trainer has clients of his own whom he is “training” with a lot of blue smoke and mirrors. It is just too easy. These guys are exceptional actors. It is no wonder that many of them feel threatened by anyone offering sound information and advice. This deceit and bravado explain the antagonism among “trainers” in some gyms. “Big egos are shields for lots of empty space.”
It is vital to the well-being of the public that we demand to SEE, not HEAR about, the qualifications of the trainers with whom we work.

Indeed there are exceptional qualified personal trainers in Trinidad who can easily produce this paperwork.
But do not be fooled by complicated, technical speeches of grand results from others because “empty vessels make the most noise.” But beware! Another reason for the glut of poorly qualified personal trainers is the presence of sham institutes that claim to certify personal trainers. Many “trainers” send fees to these fraudulent associations for “credentials” which they flash at their unsuspecting clients. “My trainer qualified man! He show me his certificate!”…which he got without lifting a finger! This brings me to yet another reason why there are so many schemers plying their snake oil trade in the fitness industry…the general public. We let them do it! I think we are allergic to accountability, because we run from it with our tails between our legs like pusillanimous puppies. Once we SEE the trainer’s credentials (as we should with any health care professional), we need to go home, get on a computer and research the institution from which he got them to validate his claim that the association is authentic. It is truly a matter of OUR health and safety! From what I have been told, there are about 15 accredited organisations that certify personal trainers in the United States.

They include National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American Council on Exercise (ACE), Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AAFA), American Sports and Fitness Association (ASFA), Cooper’s Institute, and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to name a few. There are also others in different countries. The situation of personal trainers in Trinidad is really a shame, and those frauds should feel ashamed. It is the public who suffers, yet we are the ones to blame. Personal training is a noble and necessary profession, a vital component of the health of our community; yet we are reducing it to a disreputable joke, where clowns and buffoons reign supreme. Accountability is the mother of caution, and if we neglect to hold our personal trainers (and anyone in any profession for that matter) responsible for their actions, then we shall continue to live in a comedy where people are injured and the joke is on us.

Carla Rauseo, P.T., M.S., C.S.C.S. is a state registered and licensed Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Total Rehabilitation Centre.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Carla Rauseo