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

It is with ebullient ecstasy that I share a few thoughts on the magnificent work done by my life-long friend, Dr Rudi Webster, in his book “Think Like A Champion”.

The book is required reading for millions of sports persons worldwide. It should adorn the shelves of boardrooms, schools, clubs, and sports associations, and would definitely quicken the minds of coaches, selectors and board members in the areas so crucial to the growth and development of their young players.

Dr Webster’s career as a sportsman, medical practitioner, West Indies cricket team manager, director of the Shell West Indies Cricket Academy and a mental skills coach easily qualified him to write his excellent first book “Winning Ways”, which I thought could only be equalled, but not surpassed. I was wrong, for his second book “Think Like A Champion” is a masterpiece. He has illuminated the dark corners of a sports person’s mind; even those who have great talents are well coached and strive to excel at the highest level.

Simply put, Dr Webster posits the view that to play like a champion, you must think like a champion. I concur; for I have never seen or indeed heard of a great sports person who was not a great thinker. It is easy to train the body but harder to train the mind. This book places emphasis on mental skills, and rightly so, for whatever the body produces, the mind has already rehearsed.

This is the age of globalisation where competitiveness and adaptation to world changing conditions are key elements of our survival and performance. In cricket, adapting to the pace and bounce of the Australian and South African pitches; the prodigious spin of the Subcontinent pitches; the swing and swerve of those in England and New Zealand; they are all part of the steep learning curve for the players. Dr Webster postulates that you must think like a champion to occupy the crease for hours and build partnerships. You must think like a champion and be disciplined enough to bowl a good line and length in order to put pressure on the batsmen to get them out.

This is also an age where players are paid commensurate with their ability; but there are now many more distractions—verbal harassment called sledging; ambiguous tweeting that gets them in trouble, and match-fixing. This book equips all sports persons with the mental skills to avoid such pitfalls. Furthermore, Dr Webster has provided us with the thoughts of some of the world’s greatest sportsmen, who have eloquently articulated their views on various aspects of their successful careers.

Among those interviewed are the two greatest all-round cricketers, Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis, Clive Lloyd captain of the world champion West Indies team, MS Dhoni, the successful captain of Team India, Dennis Lillee and Wasim Akram, two of the world’s greatest fast bowlers, Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell, two of the world’s best batsmen, and world champion Australian golfers Greg Norman and Peter Thomson.

As a member of the Worrell/Sobers West Indies cricket team I delighted in the exploits of that world champion team from 1962 to 1968, and I was thrilled to be a selector and a manager during the reign of the Clive Lloyd/Viv Richards World champion West Indies team from 1980 to 1995. The latter team is widely regarded as one of the best in the history of sport. In those days we had a support staff of manager, assistant manager and physical trainer/therapist.

Players of my generation played at the highest level without a coach and made it through by relying on instinct, a good work ethic, self-motivation, self-reliance, strong self-discipline, commonsense, clear thinking, mental alertness, and help from other players. Currently the West Indies team can boast of a support staff of nine in their dressing rooms; however no one who is an expert in matters of the mind is included.

With the advent of three formats of international cricket, which necessitates a large support staff, it is pellucid that the team should have an expert to help players with their mental preparation, mental conditioning and mental control.

It is an absolute requirement that players be trained to be mentally tough to deal with the many pressure situations they will face on and off the field. Sporting life at the highest level is not a playground; it is a battleground. Sport tests how the player’s mind and body will react to pressure. As Dr Webster states, “Pressure can be a friend or foe and can bring the best or the worst out of the player.”

Tiger Woods, probably the best ever golfer, won many championships with an injured (broken) body, but when his mind was injured (broken) by the pressure of off-field indiscretions, his game fell apart. Tiger has since calmed and strengthened his mind and is playing like a champion again. Recently, two England cricketers who were overwhelmed by the pressure of Ashes cricket in Australia withdrew from the team while the series was still in progress. And to a lesser extent, some of the other players have also fallen victim to this pressure and have played below their normal standards.

Coping effectively with pressure is vital for success at the highest level. Rahul Dravid was well aware of this when he stated in the book: “When you understand that pressure is part and parcel of your life (and game) and that there are things you can do to control it, you will face up to it in a positive way and use it to your advantage.”

The problem in the West Indies is that emphasis is mostly on the physical, and the parts that really matter, the mind, the heart and the soul are regrettably ignored. The importance of intelligent planning and high-quality preparation are also not fully appreciated. As the book says, “Preparation and desire can at times make up for a lack of skill, but skill alone cannot compensate for a lack of willpower, preparation or mental control.”

I agree with Dr Webster that cricket is a mind game and a game for thinkers for as I stated before, I have never seen or heard about a great player who was not a great thinker. The mind is one of man’s greatest resources. “It is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” This is precisely why we must constantly stimulate it and manage it sensibly and carefully.

Most of what I have learnt about performance in sport as a cricketer, coach, selector, board member, president of the West Indies Cricket Board and a minister of sport in the past 50 years have been so succinctly enshrined in the 363 pages of this book. But the principles expressed in the book apply as much to other professions and other forms of life’s endeavours as they do to sport.

What a golden opportunity for the regional and West Indies cricket boards to embrace and employ the contents of this book to improve their own performance and to strengthen their support team by employing a permanent mental skills coach.

I congratulate Rudi on his signal contribution to the pursuit of sporting excellence.

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Brian Lewis, president of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) says there needs to be a radical overhaul in the way national sporting organisations (NSOs) access funding for athlete and stakeholder development in this country. At present government was the main contributor to this process, he said, but as the State shifts it priorities to tackle issues related to the provision of proper health care, as well as improving public safety and national security, Lewis is convinced that NSOs needed to enter a new chapter in the way they conducted business. The reputation of the sport fraternity was tarnished during the last year, he said, because of public squabbles witnessed between the Sport Ministry and NSOs over how taxpayers’ funds should be accessed and released.

Citing these uncomfortable developments in the arena, said Lewis, the TTOC will seriously discuss the reintroduction of a sport marketing forum first held back in February 2010. Lewis was of the opinion that the Sport Ministry and its implementing arm, the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) might not have been able to get from the Ministry of Finance funds applied for which would have negatively affected NSOs with heightened budgetary expectations. This he believed would be crucial in developing the business capacity that various NSOs lack and would help administrators understand some mechanics of business. Once this is achieved, said Lewis, NSOs could now design proposals to begin the process of showing corporate executives not only how their alignment to sport can bolster their corporate social responsibility efforts, but also improve their profit margins.

“I think it is absolutely necessary to help us build capacity and to help take a different approach to the whole question of funding sport. I don’t think that the reliance–and there is significant reliance on Government funds–is a healthy situation. Sport on the whole needs to diversify how it goes about funding and generating funds. As part of the whole sport marketing re-look we have to look at a number of different things,” he said. Lewis said, “We must be able to go to corporate T&T with a value added approach in terms of how sports can–besides the corporate social responsibility perspective–help corporate T&T meet their bottom line. I think we have to be realistic. Corporate T&T’s focus is their bottom line and there is nothing wrong with that. I don’t understand why people want to make corporate T&T (feel) guilty. Business is about profit and what we have to do within sports is review how we go about it. I genuinely and honestly feel so. We have to try to develop a parallel partnership in the sense of
what value does sport bring to corporate T&T, in addition to corporate social responsibility. How can we assist corporate T&T achieve their objectives?”                             

He said the state of the local economy could be a major factor, too, and the reality that in an economy that is not as buoyant the Ministry of Sport and SporTT were doing their best with the allocation available, but obviously there were difficult decisions to be made. And therefore, he said, the time was right for new strategies focusing on securing greater and more sustainable investments from the business sector should be rolled out.

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World Championship bronze medallist George Bovell is keen to give back to young swimmers and impart key competition skills, and will be doing so with three swim clinics and a coaches symposium, free of charge from January 9-11.

The title of the event is the George Bovell Dive In Free Swim Clinic.

The 30-year-old swimmer, who claimed the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) 2013 Sports Personality of the Year and Express Individual of the Year awards recently, has teamed up with the Sport Company of T&T (SPORTT) and Atlantic LNG to host the four-day Clinic at various locations across the country. The National Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP) has also signalled its intentions to assist with sponsorship of  the clinic.

Bovells hopes to target athletes ranging from 11 years and older and who have attained a national team level—that is, any national team swimmers from the Goodwill, Carifta, Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC) and CCCAN teams ages 11-12 and up—to attend the sessions. Each session will build upon the skills and methods discussed and demonstrated from the previous one.

“We aim to focus on all four strokes, turns, dives, underwater dolphin, dry land and race strategy. It will be the greatest initiative of its kind ever in Trinidad and Tobago,” Bovell said of the clinic.

To assist him with the sessions, Bovell has recruited top international swimmers Duje Draganja of Croatia and Milorad Cavic of Serbia.

Draganja is an Olympic silver medallist (2004) and two-time world champion in the 50m freestyle, while Cavic is most famously known for his loss by one hundredth of a second to US swim sensation Michael Phelps in the Men’s 100m butterfly at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

The venues and times of the clinic are expected to be confirmed within a couple of days.

Source

Despite a serious knee injury ruling her out of recent successes with the national team, women’s rugby standout Kwanieze John has been recognised for her achievements off the field when she was recommended for the community champion award at the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) Spirit of Sport Awards (SOSA) nomination ceremony recently. A development officer at T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) who used her title to revive the sport among school girls through the reintroduction of the secondary schools girls’ league this year, John, the TTRFU’s player of the year in 2007, will find out if she is champion when the annual award ceremony is held tonight. “If I win, I’ll see it as a win for the sport,” she said. “The win will help change the image of the sport, especially as my involvement focuses on the youth.” “However, If I lose, I would have taken the game to the forefront of things.”

Whether she wins or loses, the 24-year-old has made up her mind that sport as a career is both her present and future. Her passion is both youth in sport and women in sport. “Women’s involvement is a big thing for me. Everything I do I ensure that the young girls have as much opportunities as the boys.” John added, “I think our ladies need more role models in sport. So, any way I can help (I will attempt). You just (have to) let them know they’ve got to be confident, courageous and committed. It’s no walk in the park.” She has made this evident as her role as a volunteer with the T&T Olympic Committee, which she has aided in the body’s education department. She has been there since 2010 and said it would be difficult to express how much she has grown as an individual, administrator and educator in sport since joining the TTOC.

On the new-look girls’ rugby league which ran successful league and knockout tournaments late this year, John said she was not alone. “I’ve an incredible team of people that assisted with the programme and people who believe in the vision. For the past two years our coaches weren’t paid and they did it without asking or demanding anything. And, to have people loyal to that cause, I can’t thank them enough for their support.” She added, “Sport is my career and sometimes I believe that I don’t do myself justice financially by doing what I do, but I remind myself that I’m in it for the youth and their development because I’ve seen the impact that I make with those young ladies and men. Sometimes it’s surreal.” John is currently sidelined from action with an injury in her left knee which requires surgery. Granted it is successful, she is hoping to make a full return to her club, Royalians, which she was named player of the year for 2012, and for T&T, which has been on an impressive incline.

Source

Leslie Figaro, president of the T&T Football Rugby Union has described as “emotional” the feat of the men’s rugby squad which was named “Team of the Year” at Saturday’s Spirit of Sport Awards, held at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain. At the awards conceptualised and produced by the Ministry of Sports and the Sport Company of T&T, the senior ruggermen pulled the night’s biggest upset beating out cricket and hockey for this top honour. Figaro said over the last five years, rugby had gone through a metamorphosis and a lot of changes were made where all national teams were lifted to another level.  He cited this country’s hosting of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association Championships 2013 (NACRA) as a major victory for the sport. It was “excellent”, said Figaro, who recalled that T&T had the honour of fielding two Under-19 teams in both the first and second divisions. This, he said, was made possible when a visiting team second division squad withdrew from the competition.

As fate would have it, T&T’s second division team emerged top at the end of the tournament. Figaro showered praises on the partnership the Rugby Union now enjoys with the Ministry of Sports and its implementation arm the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT). He noted the professionalism of Tobias Ottley, executive manager of the Elite Development and Performance Unit (EDPU), under whose stewardship national athletes were experiencing a new level of development. “They were under his guidance before they went to the Caymans. So the strength and conditioning allowed rugby to go to another level. They have really added value,” Figaro said. The Rugby Union official said 20 athletes were now benefitting from the expertise of the elite unit which meant whatever circumstances hindered a player on the first team, the pool from which to choose a replacement would be equally as talented.

Focusing on the women, Figaro underscored their dedication to the sport which explained their top position in the Caribbean. The quality of their performance, he said, had made the women eligible to compete in various major international tournaments starting this January in Las Vegas. The men’s team is also scheduled to compete in that US state, next month. Their competition roster, however, will take them to Chile to face Argentine and Fijian teams. In February, they will access the US Olympic training camp before boarding a flight to Hong Kong for its rugby 7s in March. Commenting on the Community Champion Award bestowed onto rugby athlete Kwanieze John for her promotion of the sport, Figaro said, John had a life in rugby. “She has developed into an excellent young lady, well respected in the fraternity not only in rugby, but sport in general. She has a level of dedication that is second to none. It is not about money, this is about passion for young people and women,” he said. Figaro added, “She has been coaching before she was born. The fact that somebody so young could pull in such a cross section of young people is incredible. The model she uses for getting young people and women in the sport should be the model nationally for all sports. She should be the first port of call. She delivers! The corporate sector should invest in her because she has a contribution to make in sport and life skills.”

Source

World Championship hurdler Jehue Gordon continued his winning ways on a weekend awash with major sporting presentations, capturing the prestigious Sportsman of the Year title, at Sunday’s T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Awards Ceremony, held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain. Twenty-four hours before, a visibly emotional Gordon walked away with four Spirit of Sport awards (SOSA) at the ceremony held at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain. At the TTOC’s evening of honours, Gordon 22, in his sartorial elegance, cruised into the spotlight to thunderous applause to receive his honour from President Anthony Carmona. His Excellency was accompanied by TTOC president Brian Lewis for the presentation. The nod by the TTOC did not come as a surprise to the Gordon, who came prepared with a speech. Gordon won gold at the IAAF World Championships held in Moscow, Russia.

But shot putter Cleopatra Borel’s vote for Sportswoman of the Year Award, however, came as a surprise to the athlete. Reema Carmona, wife of the His Excellency made the presentation.
It took some time for Borel, while at the podium, to compose herself. She was in shock! During her acceptance speech, Borel explained her reaction and declared that the last season was not her best. Their feats, however, made it a good night for track and field. But swimming was not to be out done, capturing three awards at the high profile ceremony. Dylan Carter’s silver medal win in the 50-metre butterfly at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a time of 23.98 earned him the Junior Sportsman of the Year title.
Meanwhile, Paralympic swimmer Shanntol Ince got the TTOC Junior Sportswoman of the Year title. Her multiple gold medal win at the 2013 Youth Para Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina—100m backstroke, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle—made her a prime candidate for this honour.

Olympic medallist George Bovell III was named as the TTOC’s Sport Personality of the Year. This was also a brilliant year for the dynamic swimmer who copped bronze in the 50m freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona in a national record time of 21.51, as well as one gold (100IM) and two bronze (50mfree; 100IM) medals at FINA World Cup Series events in Holland and Germany. Veteran football administrator Edward Hart was the recipient of the Alexander B Chapman Award for his unswerving commitment to the development of the sport. Forty-seven years ago, he established the Eddie Hart League for football and has worked diligently to mould not just skilled athletes, but better citizens, who continue to pump new energy into the sport. Off the field of play, the TTOC also bestowed honours on former administors Douglas Camacho (president) Senator Elton Prescott (general secretary) and Alexander B Chapman (president/general secretary) for their contribution to the development of the TTOC and sport in T&T.

Honour Roll

Sports Personality of the Year: George Bovell III
Sportsman of the Year: Jehue Gordon
Sportswoman of the Year: Cleopatra Borel
Junior Sportsman of the Year: Dylan Carter
Junior Sportswoman of the Year: Shanntol Ince
Alexander B Chapman Recipient: Edward Hart

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A strong message over opposition to Russia's controversial anti-gay propaganda law is set to be delivered by the United States with the announcement today that its official Government delegation for Sochi 2014 will include former tennis player Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow, a two-time Olympic ice hockey medallist, who are both openly lesbians.

But it will not include President Barack Obama or the First Lady, his wife Michelle, who attended London 2012 on his behalf, or Vice-President Joe Biden, the White House's representative at Vancouver 2010.

It will be the first time since Sydney 2000 that the President or former President, First Lady or Vice-President has not led to the US delegation to the Olympics.

A statement from the White House claimed Obama's schedule will not allow him to travel to Sochi for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 7.

"President Obama is extremely proud of our US athletes and looks forward to cheering them on from Washington," the statement said.

"He knows they will showcase to the world the best of America -diversity, determination and teamwork."

The delegation will be led by Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security and current President of the University of California, and will also include figure skater Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic champion and former speed skaters Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden, both five-time Olympic gold medallists.

Obama has been among the most prominent critics of the controversial law passed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June which bans propaganda about "non-traditional sexual relations" as a means of protecting children.

The International Olympic Committee has claimed it has assurances from Russian organisers that athletes, officials and spectators will not face discrimination based on sexual orientation.

But French President Francois Hollande and German President Joachim Gauck have already both announced that they will not be attending Sochi 2014, decisions widely interpreted as a protest against Russia's human rights record, including the anti-gay protests law.

King had been the first prominent professional female athlete to come out as a lesbian in 1981 duringa palimony lawsuit launched by a former partner.

In 2009 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama for her work advocating for the rights of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Earlier this year, King, winner of a 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 women's doubles, and 11 mixed doubles titles, had told USA Today newspaper that he American athletes should speak out against the Russian anti-gay legislation.

"I would hope the majority of the athletes would speak out," King, who is now 70, told the newspaper.

"It's a great platform."

Cahow, meanwhile, announced last month that she was gay.

During an interview with GO! Athletes website she denounced calls for a US boycott and instead encouraged gay athletes to treat Sochi 2014 to invoke the spirit of Jesse Owens.

"Did you see Jesse Owens saying, 'I don't think I'm going to participate in the Olympics in Germany because it's an affront to my race'?," said Cahow, a member of the US ice hockey team that won bronze and silver medals at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 respectively.

"No.

"He went.

"He competed.

"He won.

"He did it silently and peacefully.

"He demonstrated the greatness of who he was as an African-American athlete.

"It's precisely the same philosophy we should be taking to Russia."

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) welcomed the announcement of the delegation by the White House.

"An impressive group of officials and iconic athletes will represent our Government at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Sochi," said Patrick Sandusky, spokesman for the USOC.

"We're honoured to assist their participation in any way that we can and certain that America's elite athletes will put on a great show."

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JTA and MP & Silva have been appointed to leading consultancy roles by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) as the modernisation of the organisation continues to gather pace under its President, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al-Sabah, it was announced today.

UK-based JTA will provide brand building and global communications services and MP & Silva, a company with offices around the world, will take on the role of media rights advisor and events management agency.

JTA's role will be help raise the profile of ANOC both in and outside the Olympic Movement, while MP & Silva will help deliver a range of special events for the organisation in 2014, including the first ever ANOC Gala Awards Ceremony as part of the General Assembly in Bangkok from November 5 until 9.

"I am delighted at these significant new appointments," said Sheikh Ahmad.

"ANOC is committed to enhancing the level of support we provide to NOCs (National Olympic Committees) all over the world by professionalising every aspect of our organisation.

"With their wealth of Olympic Movement and sports industry experience, and their genuine best-in-class expertise, I am certain that both of these agencies will make a valuable contribution to our objectives. I look forward to a fruitful partnership in 2014."

Besides launching the new Gala Awards Ceremony, ANOC is set to link up with SportAccord, under its new President Marius Vizer, to launch a series of innovative multi-sport games.

These are expected to include a beach games and an urban games.

Both JTA and MP & Silva are expected to be involved in helping promote these events.

JTA, who worked on Sochi's successful bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and currently work for a number of other organisations involved in the Olympic Movement, including the World Taekwondo Federation and Generations for Peace.

"It is a real honour to become part of this ANOC family and to be supporting one of the most fundamental stakeholders of the Olympic Movement," said Jon Tibbs, chairman of JTA.

"This is an organisation brimming with potential, and we are excited about helping to achieve the vision of Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al-Sabah - and sharing some fantastic stories along the way.

"JTA has decades of Olympic communications experience and an extensive global network: we are ready to draw on all our assets to help ANOC achieve their objectives."

MP & Silva, which has 17 offices around the globe and  began in 2004 with the acquisition of the global rights distribution of selected Italian Serie A football, now works with a number of world-class events, including the FIFA World Cup, the Premier League, Formula One and the Asian Games.

"We are extremely honoured to be appointed by ANOC as their media rights advisor and events management agency," said Peter Hutton, joint chief executive of MP & Silva.

"ANOC's plans to develop a brand awareness campaign and new activities in the Olympic calendar are very much welcomed and necessary.

"MP & Silva's had great experience in working in a close media partnership with the Olympic Council of Asia, and we are confident that these organisations can make a great impact in the way they organise sporting events and communicate their values through the international broadcasting media.

"We look forward to working with ANOC and using our innovative media rights expertise to engage with a new generation of sports fans all over the world."

Source

Jehue Gordon emerged as Memphis Pioneers Athletic Club’s Male Athlete of the Year 2013, while Dawnell Collymore took the Female Athlete of the Year title.

Gordon, the top national athlete who won gold for T&T in the 400-metre hurdle event at the IAAF World Championships, Moscow, Russia, back in August, before repeating his fashionable win at the Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium—a month later—took the spotlight at the International School of Port-of-Spain in Westmoorings on Saturday.

Gordon is ranked second in the world in the 400 metres hurdle.

But while officials at Memphis Pioneers had no challenge choosing which athlete would receive this honour, they knew his award had to be extra-ordinary.

They reflected on the style of his wins and went back to his ‘golden dip’ at the World Championships.

Visual artist Sundiata (Winston Ian Stewart) was then commissioned to capture the moment on canvas. When the work was revealed the auditorium at the International School was energised with cheers.

In fact, Dr Ian Hypolite Gordon’s coach admitted that he was “totally envious” when he saw the final product.

Interviewed, Gordon said, “My club paved the way for where I am right now. They have shaped me into an all rounded person and I’m just grateful to give back to the club, in the sense that I have localised the whole setting. I came back home. I remain grounded in my roots—Memphis Pioneers. I’m just happy to come out here and represent them and be awarded tonight.”

He added, “The past three months have been really hectic. I’ve been involved in school; exams especially over the past two weeks at UWI. Exams have been intense so far. Right now it just relaxation time, a little bit. My final exam is next week Tuesday (tomorrow). My last exam is marketing management. After that I will be able to focus a lot more on track and field.”

The Awards

Athlete of the Year–Male

Jehue Gordon

Athlete of the Year—Female

Dawnell Collymore

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 9

Keone John

Athlete of the Year—Girls Under 9

Naomi Pierce

Athlete of the Year—Girls Under 11

Bilquis Abdal-Jarim

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 11

Jamali Lynch

Athlete of the Year—Girls Under 13

Jeneil Morris

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 13

Shaquan Baptiste

Athlete of the Year—Girls Under 15

Shania Mc Carter

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 15

Clement Campbell

Athlete of the Year—Girls Under 18

Jeminise Parris

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 18

Kadeem Campbell

Athlete of the Year—Boys Under 20

Reubin Walters

Source

Badminton World Federation (BWF) President Poul-Erik Høyer is "very happy" to be proposed as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, which was announced by President Thomas Bach today.

Bach revealed that the 48-year-old Dane, winner of the men's singles title at Atlanta 1996, would be the only proposed member considered at the IOC Session due to be held before the Winter Olympics in Sochi next February.

He is set to become the second major figure affiliated with badminton to become an IOC member in recent months following the election of Ethiopia's BWF Council Member Dagmawit Berhane as one of nine new members at September's Session in Buenos Aires.

Britain's Sir Craig Reedie, vice-president of the IOC, also has his roots in badminton having previously been head of the International Badminton Federation - now the BWF - and spearheaded the sport's campaign to be added to the Olympic programme at Barcelona 1992.

Høyer, only elected as President of the BWF in May, emphasised how important it would be for his sport for him to join the IOC.

The decision to promote Høyer ahead of other long-serving International Federation Presidents will be interpreted, in particular, as a major snub to Marius Vizer, head of the International Judo Federation since 2007 and earlier this year also elected chief of SportAccord, the umbrella organisation for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations,

Høyer will be the second Dane to become a member of the IOC, joining Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, who joined in 2009 but who plans to terminate his membership upon ascending the Danish throne.

"The news has come as a surprise - I was told to get my candidature in and I knew as an International Federation President that it would be considered - but it is great that the arrows have turned my way," he told insidethegames.

"I am very happy and it definitely means a lot to me personally, but it is also very important for badminton to gain that position."

"The IOC is a big organisation to be part of and we want to contribute as much as possible because the more involved you are the better you can do - we will have the opportunity to voice our opinions and to contribute to whatever is being discussed.

"I am looking forward to working closely with President Bach and trying to do my best both for badminton and the IOC."

One former Olympic champion who will also miss out on IOC membership however, at least for the time being, is Britain's Sebastian Coe, who it appears must wait until 2015 when he is widely expected to replace Lamine Diack as President of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Bach also announced three existing IOC members - Malaysia's Prince Tunku Imran, Aruba's Nicole Hoevertsz and Gambia's Beatrice Allen - face a re-election process in Sochi if their membership is to be extended.

Prince Tunku Imran is also President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and an unsuccessful applicant for the IOC Executive Board earlier this year.

He also created controversy in August when he proposed moving the CGF Headquarters from London to Kuala Lumpar, a move which temporarily abandoned in the face of widespread opposition.

Allen is also no stranger to controversy and in 2011 was cleared after unproven accusations that she embezzled funds from the Gambian National Olympic Committee (GNOC)

An IOC spokesman told insidethegames that, with all three individuals having been appointed in 2006, the re-elections are "part of the usual process whereby members face election every eight years."

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A single word appears on the stone marking his burial place. It is "Mandela"; and it is enough.

Since December 5, that fateful day when Nelson Mandela left the world bereft of a leader the like of whom mankind had seldom experienced, much has been written and spoken in deserving tribute to him. But it should not be forgotten

that he was once called a "terrorist"; and apartheid — the system of institutionalised racism against which he fought, losing 27 years of his freedom — was justified by many governments for which the Cold War alliance with the racist regime that controlled the country was more important than the rights of non-white South Africans.

The purpose of this commentary is to recall the role played by Caribbean people in freeing Mandela and ending apartheid. No Caribbean people or leader played bigger roles than the Cubans and Fidel Castro. Much Cuban blood was spilled and many hundreds of Cubans were buried in Angola over a 13-year period in a war against South African forces for the liberation of Southern Africa. Mandela did not forget that sacrifice.

Other Caribbean people played important roles too. Despite the antagonism of the United States Government, which then stood beside the apartheid regime in South Africa, the prime ministers of Barbados and Guyana — Errol Barrow and Forbes Burnham respectively — opened up their countries' airports in the mid-1970s for Cuban planes to refuel to and from Angola, transporting Cuban military advisers and equipment.

Long before this — in the 1950s — English-speaking Caribbean countries, though still British colonies, boycotted the importation of South African products to protest the institutionalisation of apartheid in South Africa as well as a series of laws that stripped non-whites of rights, corralled them into concocted reserves, exploited them as cheap labour and banned their political parties.

Some contributions were overt, such as the financial support given to Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) by the governments of Guyana under Forbes Burnham and Jamaica under Michael Manley in the 1970s. Other contributions were not in cash but significant nonetheless — like the Government in Antigua under VC Bird Snr giving its passports in the 1980s to ANC exiles who were deprived of travel documents by the apartheid regime and were otherwise stateless.

The sports boycott of South Africa initiated in 1977 by Commonwealth Heads of Government proved painful to white South Africans and was one of the sanctions that helped to end apartheid. The small group of leaders at Gleneagles in Scotland that negotiated the boycott included, prominently, Michael Manley. The group had as support the deft hand of another Caribbean man, Guyana-born Sir Shridath Ramphal, who by then was secretary-general of the Commonwealth.

The sports boycott of South Africa hit the apartheid regime hard where it counted most — at home, and amongst white people whose teams could no longer participate in the Commonwealth Games or play international rugby and, worst of all, could no longer compete in cricket.

Other Caribbean men stood up then as well. Between 1982 and 1984, the apartheid regime lured cricketers from many countries to play in South Africa to break the sporting ban. Some West Indian cricketers went without the consent of their governments and their cricket authorities, but not the most outstanding ones the South Africans most desperately wanted to parade, among them Clive Lloyd (Guyana), Vivian (later Sir Vivian) Richards (Antigua), Joel Garner (Barbados) and Courtney Walsh (Jamaica), who stood firm in their solidarity with the oppressed in South Africa.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1985 in Nassau, The Bahamas, is remembered by historians as the turning point of the Commonwealth's struggle with Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in her obdurate opposition to 'sanctions' against apartheid South Africa.

Thereafter, she no longer held a veto on Commonwealth sanctions. The Bahamas Prime Minister Lyndon Pindling, as chair, steered the meeting to that end. It was sanctions — started by the Commonwealth and pushed into the United Nations — that eventually crippled the apartheid regime, drying up loans from the international market and deterring investment.

But the Nassau meeting also established the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) with a mandate to promote a process of dialogue for change, for ending apartheid and establishing a genuine

non-racial democracy in South Africa.

Seven Commonwealth countries, The Bahamas among them, would consult with the secretary-general on their nominees. Sir Shridath wanted Dame Nita Barrow of Barbados, and Prime Minister Pindling agreed that she would be his nominee from the Caribbean. As a member of the EPG, Dame Nita would be the first West Indian to see Mandela in prison.

She was a vital member of the group — the first among them to enter the grim Soweto dressed as a local woman accompanying Winnie Mandela. The EPG's Report Mission to South Africa exposed the iniquities of apartheid, became the catalyst for sanctions, and produced a negotiating concept to which the regime turned in the end to surrender its apartheid apparatus, including Mandela's release.

Shridath Ramphal's engagements were central and manifold as he acted for the Commonwealth in its crusade to free Mandela and end apartheid. His efforts, over 15 years, to end a system of inhumanity that besmirched the 20th century, entailed constant mobilisation of Commonwealth governments and use of contacts with leaders in Europe, Asia, Canada and even Washington to bolster the crusade of front-line African States; even using at some times conduits in the religious community to get messages to Mandela in prison.

Mandela never forgot that tireless and determined work. In a memorandum (now public), Ramphal recorded that five days after Mandela was released, they spoke by telephone. Mandela was at Archbishop Desmond Tutu's residence in Pretoria, and he made it clear that despite the prison bars that confined him, he was always aware of all of this support. Later, he acknowledged fulsomely the Commonwealth Caribbean's special solidarity when receiving an honorary degree from the University of the West Indies in the first months of 1991.

The Caribbean's drive for Mandela's freedom and the end of apartheid came in other forms: for example, from the region's leading musical icons — Jamaica's Bob Marley (War) in 1976, Peter Tosh (Apartheid) in 1977, and Guyana's Eddy Grant (Gimme hope, Jo'anna) in 1988. Those songs formed part of the anti-apartheid battle cry and helped to arouse popular outrage around the world.

In memorialising Mandela, Caribbean people can proudly say that they stood with

him in the time of the

great struggle against apartheid — and he showed his appreciation.

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Suriname swimmer Anthony Nesty, the 1988 Olympic Gold medallist, will be the feature speaker at the event entitled “On the Road to the Olympics” Conference.
At the conference, hosted at the Hilton Trinidad on Boxing Day, Nesty, whose gold medal splash in the Men’s 100 metres butterfly in the 1988 Seoul Games was a major upset of the odds-on favourite Matt Biondi from the USA, will relate his experiences on his way to that historic achievement.
He will be accompanied by paralympic swimmer Shanntol Ince, sprinter Richard Thompson, cyclist Njisane Phillip and sailor Andrew Lewis in an event organised by the Caribbean Athletic Development Corporation (CADC).
Also there will be Andrew Phillip, the former Jamaican Olympian swimmer and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 200m Individual Medley finalist, and former T&T Olympic swimmer Karen Dieffenthaller-Donahue, both of them directors of the CADC.
According to a media statement from the organisers, the Olympians will gather for an evening of “fellowship, inspiration and education”.
Nesty, the current assistant swimming coach at the University of Florida, said: “I am excited to be able to give back to swimming and the region in which my career started”.
Dieffenthaller Donahue, the first female swimmer to represent T&T at the Olympics, will also share her experiences and the path she took to get to the Quadrennial Games.
The event will include several network opportunities, video presentations and a question and answer segment as well as a panel discussion.
Interested coaches parents and athletes are are invited to the event that runs from 4-8 pm.
Persons can purchase tickets online at www.wavecampcaribbean.com.
The Conference is the highlight of the Wave Camp series the CADC will conduct.
That camp starts with a two-day water polo on December 21-22. On December 24, they travel to Tobago for a one-day strength and conditioning  camp on the beach.
Then after the Conference, they throw a three day clinic dedicated for swimmers  to be hosted at the Marlins Swim Club.
From December 27-29.
Strength and Conditioning coach Raphael Ruiz, who worked with Dave Marsh in the past and who has trained Olympic swimmers, NFL football players, world class track and field athletes and soccer players, will impart his knowledge to the camp participants which is expected to include local swimmers and coaches.

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T&T’s top cyclist satisfied with national record

Top Trinidad and Tobago track cyclist Njisane Phillip said he was satisfied with his new national record flying 200m time of 9.643 and was looking forward to the UCI World Championships in Cali, Colombia and the Commonwealth Games in the Isle of Man next year.
Phillip finished eighth in the match sprint event at the second UCI World Track Cycling Cup leg in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on the weekend, and is ranked second overall in the sprint behind leader Matthew Glaetzer of Australia, who won Saturday’s sprint final in two best-of-three rides against Olympic champion Jason Kenny.
Phillip is also ranked fifth overall in the keirin after two legs, but said he won’t be taking part in the next UCI World Cup event in Guadalajara from January 17-19 as he opts to focus on “Worlds” in Colombia in February.
“I was really trying to aim for faster, going at the world record but it was a really fast field and everybody else had the same plan. So I am happy with the time just coming back to major competition,” Phillip said, adding that in balance “I was happy to finish in the top eight.”
Phillip said the top cyclists performed up to expectation and while the UCI meet was a good marker, he was ready to return the drawing board.
“I am going back to LA (Los Angeles) on December 29 to resume my training, (and I) will be training for the World Championships in February in Cali, Columbia,” he said.
Phillip says he is going back into his endurance and strength building phase of his programme and will be especially keen on the Worlds, since it will be his first after missing out last year when he took a break after the London Olympics.
Phillips said he will also be looking to climb the podium.
“I have won the gold at CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Games, so I really want to get that Commonwealth Games title and I will be really pushing for that,” Phillip said.
Commenting on the DPS (Drive Phase Sport) team, Phillip said he was pleased with their performances, which featured several improvements.
“It was a great performance from those guys, Quincy (Roberts) did a fast 1:01 in the kilo (1:01.048), and Varun Maharaj posted two national records, so I think it speaks well for cycling in T&T and it shows that the cyclists are all heading in the right direction,” Phillip concluded.

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Carifta champions Mark London and Andwuelle Wright were among the winners of the Chief Secretary awards for excellence in Sports for 2013. London won boys under 20 800m and 1500m titles at this year’s Carifta Games in the Bahamas and collected the award for the second year.
The Bishops High School graduate was also a recipient of the award in 2010 when he captured the boys under-17 1500m and 3000m races in the Cayman Islands. The award is the second for London within the month, as he was honoured with the Sport and Wellness Award at the Department of Youths Tobago Youth Awards in November.
Wright picked up his first award after winning back-to-back boys under-17 long jump Carifta titles. The Signal Hill Secondary fifth form student also represented Trinidad and Tobago at the World Youth (under 18) Track and Field Championships in Donetsk, Urkraine in July.
Other sporting personalities recognised were national table tennis stars Jasher De Gannes and Derron Douglas and their coach Dexter Abbott. Also coming in for commendation was young golfer Samuel Cudjoe.
De Gannes was the youngest member of the national senior table tennis team that competed at the Caribbean Championships in St Lucia. The 13-year-old Bishops High School student returned home with a silver medal. Meanwhile, Douglas won the national under-11 singles titles. Cudjoe became the first Tobagonian to win a four-year scholarship to Hank Haney International Golf Academy in the US.
The Awards are held to recognise persons and groups for their contribution to society over the last year in several fields including culture, sports and entrepreneurship. The ceremony took place at the Victor E Bruce Financial Complex last week.

LIST OF AWARDEES
Academics: Shelemiah Peterkin, Dhwane Henry, and Lemuel Phillip
Community Work: Sheriff Tobias
Entrepreneurship: Renesia George
Sports-Derron Douglas, Jasher DeGannes, Samuel Cudjoe, Dexter Abbott, Andiouelle Wright, and Mark London.
Health: Roxanne Moore-Seaforth received an award for Health;
Culture: NCLB Buccooneers.

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“Sport has the power to change the world.” The words of Nelson Mandela.

If we all used this iconic international figure’s life journey as an example of how to live and think, T&T sport will take a quantum leap forward. His emphasis on forgiveness, engagement, reconciliation, the importance of unity and harmony the power of a vision, determination an indomitable will, patience and perseverance provide a template that has proven itself in the most trying circumstances.

Many rushing to share the profile and platform occasioned by his passing appear to be at odds with the ethos of the man to whom they are paying tribute.

There are many compelling lessons that we can all learn and aspire to, if we were to use Mandela’s example of authentic leadership.

That he was a great leader there can be no doubt.

Mandela was one leader who didn’t pay lip service to the power of sport nor did he engage in rhetoric or bandwagonism where sport was concerned.

Sport was the cornerstone of his strategy for the unification of black and white South Africa.

His legacy as US President Barack Obama said will endure for the ages. Mandela defied the odds, broke down barriers and championed human rights. He dreamed and pursued the impossible dream. A former heavyweight boxer, Mandela’s love for sport and his understanding of the power of sport was authentic and sincere.

Mandela’s courage didn’t allow him to compromise his principles. In 1985 when President Botha offered Mandela his freedom if he would renounce violence, Mandela’s response was apartheid should be dismantled firstly.

Branded a terrorist. He is reported as telling the US don’t tell him who should be his friends. The exchange coming after Mandela went to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro, Gaza to meet Yasser Arafat and Tripoli to meet Moammar Gadaffi. All three had supported the fight against apartheid.

Mandela inspired anti-apartheid protests here in T&T. Many have either forgotten or don’t know that in T&T early in March 1986 locals protesting against English cricketers who had played against South Africa were arrested and subjected to robust police action.

The images from South Africa’s Rugby World Cup victory in 1995 will never be forgotten as Mandela unified white and black South Africa by appearing in a dark green Springbok jersey with the number 6, the same as the then Springbok captain Francois Pienaar.

It’s an image that resonated beyond rugby. The Springbok badge was a symbol of the divided apartheid South Africa.

Visionary and courageous, Mandela understood that he had to make the Springbok jersey part of the new South Africa.

He faced strong internal dissatisfaction within his own party over his policy of nation-building through sport. His role in the return of a multi-racial South African team to the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992 cannot be underplayed. It would not have happened if he didn’t sanction it.

Mandela had identified sport as a way of achieving a multi-racial country. He was the first global leader to use sport as a tool to unite people and to redefine a country’s international image.

Mandela’s legacy to sport and the role that sport can play has left political and sport leaders with a powerful example and template. His strength of character and vision to stand up for sport in the face of much criticism from those close to him who didn’t see what he saw is or should be an inspiration to all of us. Sport can be a powerful and positive catalyst.

In closing I extend sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Isidore Smart, Gordon Delph, Emmanuel McDonald Bailey and Michael Als, all men who are worthy examples and role models for the youth of T&T. They made a positive difference to mother T&T during their life journey- Rest in Peace faithful patriots.

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ALEENA EDWARDS will attempt to complete a fantastic season when the curtain falls on the RMSL (Reliability Maintenance Services Limited) Super Singles Table Tennis Tournament tomorrow night at Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Chaguanas.

After missing the Classified Championships in February, the ten-time national champion has won every other major tournament in the country for the year.

And Edwards, bronze-medallist in the Caribbean Championships a few months ago,  only needs two wins tonight to add the Super Singles title to the crowns she captured in the National Championships, Tobago Open and Silver Bowl.

After halting former national champion Natalie Montes 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 in the knockout round on Sunday to move into the “Big 5”, the University of Trinidad & Tobago player defeated her mother Verna 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 and Merle Baggoo, a national champ from the 1960s, 11-9, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6.

However Edwards has her two toughest opponents to deal with tonight, Linda Partap-Boodhan, also unbeaten from two in the round-robin “Big 5” and Brittany Joseph, who has won two of her three matches.

“Classified” champ Boodhan, who won “Caribbean” team gold alongside Edwards and Rheann Chung, has been the in-form player of the final stage, brushing aside Baggoo 11-2, 11-8, 11-8 and dismissing Joseph with surprising ease 11-4, 11-5, 11-6.

Joseph, who was crowned national champ at age 14 last year, is still in contention for the title however, as she edged Baggoo in three close sets (11-9, 13-11, 11-9) and turned back Verna Edwards 11-8, 11-8, 11-6.

Krystle Harvey topped a group, which included Caribbean under-13 champ Jasher De Gannes, but both players were eliminated as they competed in the knockout round for places in the “Big 5.”

Barbados national player Harvey was beaten 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 by Baggoo, while Silver Bowl runner-up De Gannes, an under-13 bronze-medallist in the recent Latin American Championships, went under 11-9, 11-7, 14-16, 11-4 against Joseph.

First serve is 6.30 p.m. tomorrow in the tournament dedicated to the memory of recently-deceased former national champ Gordon Delph, and the action will also include the men’s round-robin “Big 6” from the start.

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee extends sincerest condolences to the family of Emmanuel McDonald Bailey. Mr Bailey's contribution to sport and sport history  in Trinidad and Tobago is significant and a testimony to his dedication and passion. His dignity, determination and courage in triumph and adversity  served as a worthy example .

The build-up to the FIFA World Cup has begun in earnest with the launch of the official ball. It will then be followed by the World Cup draw tomorrow.
Yesterday, at One Woodbrook Place, manufacturers Adidas unveiled “Brazuca” the official match ball for the Brazil FIFA 2014 World Cup
Trinidad and Tobago was one of several places throughout the world where there were ball launches. Today’s final draw will take place at the Costa do Sauípe Resort, in Bahia, Brazil. That ceremony will determine the grouping for the 32 World Cup finalists.
Brazuca was named in September 2012 following a public vote in Brazil involving one million football fans. The name “Brazuca “ is an informal local term which means “Brazilian” or the Brazilian way of life, similar to how “Trini” describes all things about Trinidad and Tobago.
The ball went through a two-and-a-half-year testing procedure involving more than 600 of the world’s top players, and 30 teams in 10 countries across three continents. Clubs involved in the testing include AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Palmeiras, and Fluminese. Players involved in the process include global stars Leo Messi, Iker Casillas, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Zinedine Zidane.
“Adidas has been designing the official World Cup ball since 1970 when the Telstar was introduced, and have continually set new standards of innovation, iconic design and cutting edge technology,” said Trinidad and Tobago’s 2006 World Cup defender Brent Sancho, who also served as master of ceremonies for the launch. “The Brazuca is keeping with that tradition.”
The new ball was tested at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and was said to have contributed to the scoring of some spectacular goals. Among those gathered at yesterday’s launch was Sheldon Phillip, general secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), and Brazilian consulate official Regina Betancourt.
“This is a moment we are very fortunate to have, and as football fans around the world, we are very keen to see the unveiling of the Brazuca ball,” Phillip said. “Every four years since 1970, football fans have waited with baited breath to see the design of the FIFA World Cup ball. From 1970 to present day, we all remember those balls, from the Telstar in 1970, to the Tango in 1978, to the Jubulani in 2010. “
Phillips added: “While we wish our national selection was taking part of the World Cup next year, you can rest assured that we will be in Russia in 2018, and hopefully unveiling that ball as well.”
Betancourt said she hoped Brazuca entered the net many times, meaning that she wanted many goals to be scored at the World Cup, which will be held in cities across Brazil from June 12 - July 13, 2014.

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Njisane Phillip will lead Trinidad and Tobago’s quest to pick up valuable racing points at the second leg of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup at Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico, starting today from 2 p.m. (TT time).
Phillip and Varun Maharajh will be pedalling off in T&T colours as they attempt to qualify for next year’s World Championships in Cali, Columbia in February/March. Quincy Alexander, Jude Codrington and Justin Roberts will also be looking for points with Team DPS.
While Phillip will start things off with the sprints tomorrow, Maharajh will be in action today in the men’s omnium (flying lap, 30km points race and elimination). Team DPS will ride off in the team sprint, also today.
US-based Phillip, the Pan American sprint champion, will try to better his performances in the sprint and keirin events after a good showing at the previous World Cup installment in Manchester, England last month. Then, he finished second to German Robert Forstemann in the sprint, while he just missed out on the keirin final before eventually finishing 12th.
He will have some stiff competition from some of the world’s top riders, including Olympic champion Jason Kenny, who will be keen to bounce back from his first round exit in the sprints at home in Manchester. Kenny topped Phillip in the “semis” of the 2012 Olympics.
Maharajh, in his first year on the World Cup circuit, will be looking to improve on his performances in Manchester in the omnium event the second time around.
In addition to the team sprint, Alexander and Roberts will also pedal off for Team DPS in the kilometre time trial event. The latter duo have also already shown their form in Mexico last weekend at the Internacional Copa de Pista (International Track Cup), where they mounted the podium in the “kilo”, with Alexander second and Roberts third.
Both riders also set personal bests in the competition, with Roberts breaking his own national junior record. Codrington also shone with bronze in the keirin.
The World Cup ends on Saturday.

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