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

Jehue Gordon looks to be in the best form of his life, the Trinidad and Tobago athlete producing a couple of sizzling runs within the last month.

On July 19, Gordon won on the Diamond League circuit for the very first time, topping the Monaco men’s 400 metres hurdles field in 48 seconds flat—the second fastest time in his career. And on Tuesday, he clocked his third fastest, 48.10, to top his semifinal heat at the IAAF World Championships, here in Moscow, Russia.

But when Gordon faces the starter at one o’clock this afternoon (T&T time) in the World Championship final, time will not be his focus.

“You could win in 49 seconds, 50 seconds, it doesn’t matter,” Gordon told the Express. “That medal is what’s going to matter at the end of the day.

“I’m happy with where I’m at in training. This is the best my body has ever taken any sort of training load before. I’m going to give it my best.”

T&T team manager, Dexter Voisin told the Express he’s expecting success for Gordon.

“He’s very calm and relaxed. Once he executes his race plan, I feel we will definitely see a medal.”

Gordon has been drawn in lane six for today’s final, between two other Caribbean hurdlers, Cuban Omar Cisneros, in five, and Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, in seven. A fourth Caribbean athlete, two-time Olympic champion Felix Sanchez, of Dominican Republic, will be in lane four.

T&T-born American Kerron Clement runs in lane one, Senegal’s Mamadou Kasse Hanne in two, and American champion Michael Tinsley in three, while Serbia’s Emir Bekric will be out in lane eight.

This afternoon, Gordon will be competing in his second World Championship final. In 2009, in Berlin, Germany, jaws dropped when Gordon, only 17 at the time, finished fourth in the championship race in 48.26 seconds, just three-hundredths of a second shy of bronze.

There was an even bigger shocker from a T&T teen at the London Olympics, last year, Keshorn Walcott striking gold at 19 in the men’s javelin.

Today, Walcott will make his World Championship debut. He competes in Group “A” in the qualifying competition. The first of the Group “A” competitors, Russia’s Valeriy Iordan, will throw at 1.30 a.m. (T&T time).

Kai Selvon will be on show at 3.16 a.m., in the fourth of seven women’s 200m first round heats. The T&T sprinter will run in lane eight.

And at 11.15 a.m., T&T will compete in the second men’s 4x400m qualifying heat. Renny Quow, Jarrin Solomon, Lalonde Gordon and Deon Lendore, running in that order, will represent the Red, White and Black.

United States, Belgium, Poland, Brazil, Kenya, Ukraine and Sri Lanka will also run in heat two. The top two finishers will advance automatically to tomorrow’s final.

T&T bagged bronze at the London Olympics in two minutes, 59.40 seconds—a new national record. Solomon told the Express that he and his teammates are capable of changing the colour of the medal here in Moscow.

“We have the personnel to do that.

“Renny’s fresh,” Solomon continued, “and he wasn’t there last year, so if we all do our best we should have no problem lowering that record.”

Lendore concurred.

“Our team got stronger from last year. I’m hoping we better that bronze, and bring something with a little more quality for T&T.”

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Twenty-one-year old Jehue Gordon came to the World Championships here in Moscow wanting to have fun. Last night, he not only had fun, but cruised to victory in his 400 metres hurdles semifinal and put himself into tomorrow’s final with a spendid run in 48.10. It was the second best qualifying time and the small contingent of T&T supporters here are anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s big final which will be contested at 1 pm (T&T time).

Running in lane six, Gordon got off to a smooth start and took the lead at the top of the straight, before pulling away from Puerto Rican Javier Culson, who was second. “The race was a perfectly executed one for me. Coming over the last hurdle, I was able to gauge and realise that nobody was close, so I just eased through to the line comfortably to reserve as much in the tank for the finals,” added the former Queen’s Royal College student. Gordon said he was not affected by the fall of Bershawn Jackson of the United States at the second hurdle. “I had my eyes on my lane, hurdle for hurdle, and I executed one of the best races in my life,” he noted. Gordon is the first athlete from T&T to reach this year’s finals. He does not believe that there is added pressure on him because of this. “I don’t think so. My coach and I know what we have been working on and I know my teammates are fully supporting me.

He said he was pleased with his time and described it as decent. “I am really satisfied with the time. The day’s rest is a good thing for the 400 hurdles, because we put out so much. I do not think that I exerted myself. I went through the first 300 aggressively but between the hurdles I was able to relax over the last 100 metres,” he said. Questioned about the prospect of winning a gold medal, Gordon said he was not thinking about medals. “I want to have fun. I have been coming to these championships and I have always wanted the gold so badly. It has kept running away from me, so I studying to go in the opposite direction , they say negatives attract, let’s see how it works.” Gordon will race from lane six in tomorrow’s final, with Omar Cisneros of Cuba, who had the fastest time in the semi final of 47.93 in lane five. Olympic Champion Felix Sanchez is in lane four and American Michael Tinsley in lane three while Culson will be in lane two.

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The World Championships in Moscow has again highlighted the need to support our athletes if we want them to succeed. Support though must be fair, honest and transparent and not filled with typical favouritism, where friendship and partisan is given priority over success and quality. These continue to be symptoms that I have observed both at the 2012 London Olympics and the current World Championships. Our athletes believe that their cries are being ignored in terms of financial support, based on the existing flawed system of elite funding. If one was to conduct a survey among those in authority in the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Company on the system for funding, there would be different explanations, some complicated, others just confusing.
In speaking with several Jamaican journalists at these Games, it was amazing to listen to the passion and teamwork they each seem to believe in. In Jamaica, when a question is raised on an athlete, it is dealt with expeditiously I am told and to the satisfaction of the athlete.

Jamaica, it would appear, understands the value of sports, whereas in T&T we understand and pay homage to the value of money more than sport. When you listen to the horror stories told by athletes who bring pride and joy to this country, it makes you wary and sad of the state of administration of sports. But who can the athletes turn to...you...me...or just themselves? To be successful is not only about ability, it is also about being able to ensure the correct things are done, from training, to diet and other physical and health related issues. It is when we as a people, all of us ignore these issues, that we leave the athlete  vulnerable to the many evils that exist because of the stench of fast money and a fast life. In that regard, we all need to be our brother’s keeper in ensuring the safety and welfare of our athletes, even if we do not like their mother, their father, their uncle or their aunt for one absurd reason or another.

The latest incidents of athletes in Jamaica and T&T being investigated for drug enhancement cannot be tolerated. We must ensue that all athletes are made aware of the strictest guidelines.
There is a fear that the rest of the world is only too eager to point fingers at our athletes because of the growing success and when you add a phenomenon like Usain Bolt winning all before them, you are guarantee a lot of attention. To his credit, Bolt has not complained. He understands the power of marketing and promotion. Recently one of the T&T officials expressed the view that there is growing potential of youngsters in this country, each with different skill sets and upbringing, but to ensure they have the ideal athletes life, they will need funding and mentoring. In most cases, neither exist and the only way for an athlete to succeed is to leave our shores and head to the United States where he or she will become a slave to the respective universities and their coaches.
We do not offer our youngsters enough of an opportunity to study at UWI.

At the moment 400 metres hurdler, Jehue Gordon, is the only one in Moscow who is staying and training locally and there is little doubt that it is progressing in a timely and efficient manner.
There needs to be more publicity on the success of Gordon while he is studying and training under the watchful, caring and parental eyes of his two coaches—Edwin Skinner and Dr Ian Hypolite.
If this is made public, there is a strong possibility that we could stop losing our top athletes to overseas universities with overseas temptations and coaches/managers with no loyalty other than to the mighty US$. We must not allow what I have witnessed at these championships to continue where persons who love their country and love representing and giving their heart and soul for T&T are treated like second class citizens because they either know nobody or know somebody who is disliked by the administrators in charge of funding. When this happens, the athletes and their parents lose faith in the system, and begin to question whether the sacrifice that is being made by child and parent is honestly worth the effort.

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While there will be no T&T athlete competing on the track, today is a day that will be filled with reflection and  introspection as the team continues to bond and fight against all obstacles. One of the questions being asked here concerns the non appearance of Olympic 400 metres bronze medallist  La Londe Gordon, but manager Dexter Voisin explained that Olympic performances no longer matter at these Games and all athletes at these championships had a qualifying period from October 2012 which Gordon did not achieve the time to run in that event during that period.
“In fact, even Keshorn (Walcott) would have been in trouble if he did not get the qualifying mark in the recently concluded Twilight Games in Trinidad and Tobago,” added Voisin.

Tomorrow sees the start of the relays with the men’s 4 x400 metres.  However, La Londe Gordon, an integral part of the relay team is also entered in the men’s 200 metres individual on Friday for which he qualified. Voisin confessed that this is a concern. “The relays will be run off before the 200 metres and we cannot force the athlete to make a decision. To be honest, La Londe openly stated that he is willing to run in the relays ahead of his individual race. This shows the team spirit and unity. He will deal with the 200 metres later.”

Voison noted that while T&T did not have an official competitor on the track, coaches have their own schedules and plans for all the remaining events. “So it is work as usual. We came here to  make our country proud. This team is very much focussed on that,” noted Voisin.  “We continue to keep positive and take strength from the spirit of our athletes. It is really good to have this sort of unity in Moscow and to ensure that everyone is well supported and that we make our athletes know that they just have to continue to work harder. These competitors are the best in the world and everyone wants to win a medal, whatever the colour,” remarked Voisin.

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Adams does shot put beavertrick

l  Moscow


So far, the US-Jamaica sprint rivalry is turning into a rout at the world championships.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce rubbed it in yesterday with a winning margin of Bolt-esque proportions in the women’s 100 metres.

Her hot-pink coloured hair slashing in the air behind her, Fraser-Pryce flashed to an early lead and kept on building it before crossing in a world leading 10.71 seconds.

She had time to clench her fist as she crossed the line with silver medalist Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast crossed a massive .22 behind.

The first American, defending champion Carmelita Jeter of the United States, took bronze in 10.94.

Like Usain Bolt, she now has two Olympic and two world titles in the 100. And in Moscow she gave Jamaica a 2-0 lead over the Americans in the sprint duel, showing the Caribbean island produces the fastest runners on the planet.

The United States got their part of the glory, too, when David Oliver led a 1-2 finish in the 110 hurdles.

It would have been an American sweep had defending champion Jason Richardson not stumbled near the end.

In the women’s 400, Christine Ohuruogu set a British record to regain the world title she first won in 2007, dipping at the line to cap a great comeback and beat defending champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana by .004 seconds.

“When I finished I didn’t know if I’d won it, I didn’t want to get over-excited until my name came up,” Ohuruogu said. “I heard everyone screaming and I looked up and I’m just so happy.”

At the end of Day Three at the Championships, the United States leads the medals table with three gold and six overall. Germany are second with four medals overall after Raphael Holzdeppe upset Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France on a countback to win the pole vault.

In the shot put, Valerie Adams became the first woman to win four straight individual world titles.

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Despite some challenges en route to the Men’s Pan American Cup, the Trinidad and Tobago senior men’s hockey team booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition following convincing victories against Brazil and Chile on Sunday and Monday.

T&T defeated Brazil 5-2, and followed up with a 5-1 win over the Chile.

The Pan American Cup is being held in Brampton, Ontario in Canada from August 10-17, and the winners of the tournament will qualify for next year’s Men’s Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands.

The top six teams will qualify for the 2017 Men’s Pan American Cup, and the teams placed seventh and eighth will be demoted to the 2015 Men’s Pan American Challenge.

In Monday’s match against Chile, T&T started cautiously, trying not to expose themselves to an early goal, having lost 4-0 to the same opponents in the FIH World League Round 2 earlier this year.

It was not long before T&T took control, opening the scoring in the 12th minute on a penalty-corner with Akim Toussaint pushing into an empty net.

They doubled the lead on the next action by Mickell Pierre after a decisive penetration in the circle.

It was 3-0 after another penalty corner was converted by Toussaint.

Chile wasted two penalty corners before T&T surged forward, scoring two quick field goals by their vice-captain Dwain Quan Chan and Wayne Legerton, leaving the Chilean defence shaking their head and five goals down.

Chile pulled one back through Jan Berczely efforts with 11 minutes to go, but it was too little too late as T&T cruised victory.

T&T play their next game tonight at 7 p.m. versus Canada, who are currently second in the group.

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Armstrong clears air on ‘missed drug tests’, supports teammate Baptiste

Aaron Armstrong says there is no truth to a recent newspaper report that he has “missed two mandatory drugs tests”. And the Trinidad and Tobago sprinter has produced an email message from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to verify his claim.

On Sunday, Armstrong e-mailed the IAAF’s Athlete Whereabouts Programme, seeking clarity on the report.

“I haven’t been required to send in testing forms for 2 years...can you please shed some light on this situation.”

Project Manager of the Whereabouts Programme, Jane Boulter-Davies responded on Monday.

“We received your email — however, you are not on the IAAF Registered Testing Pool anymore, so you have no Missed Tests in 2013 as far as we are concerned.”

In an interview with the Express, yesterday, National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) president, Ephraim Serrette explained that if any T&T athlete misses a drug test, the IAAF would inform his organisation.

Serrette confirmed that the IAAF had not contacted the NAAA about Armstrong, adding that the Texas-based sprinter is not among the T&T athletes currently on the IAAF Registered Testing Pool, and therefore not subject to out-of-competition testing.

Armstrong told the Express, yesterday, he was at a loss to explain “where the information came from” that led to the erroneous story.

“When I first saw it, it was rattling, but I didn’t stress on it because I know it’s not the truth. I contacted my agent (Mark Wetmore), who directed me to the IAAF. It was a quick turnaround from the IAAF to verify it wasn’t the truth.

“But who would release something like that? It was kind of weird.”

Armstrong also took the opportunity to publicly express his support for fellow T&T sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste. On Saturday, Baptiste left the World Championships, here in Moscow, Russia, voluntarily withdrawing from the meet after testing positive for a banned substance.

“A lot of people don’t really know. Whether it’s cold medicine or something else, an athlete can have a positive test. People are quick to judge, but we can take supplements based on the label, but don’t always know what’s in the product.

“Kelly-Ann’s in the same situation like Tyson Gay. She’s like a sister to me. Knowing her like I do and knowing her integrity, I’m standing by her. I’m asking the country to support her and stand by her. When the truth comes out, that she never took anything deliberately,” Armstrong ended, “they would be able to say they stood by her.”

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Efforts to undermine national sport organisations and national governing bodies will be to the detriment of local sport.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why there are people within the local sport system who operate on the belief that national sport organisations are a bunch of know nothing incompetents who don’t deserve any respect or favourable consideration.

Like them or hate them, national sport organisations or national governing bodies are the legitimate and lawful bodies responsible for their respective sports within the territory of T&T.

Sport around the world functions best in countries where there is a clear understanding and respect for the role of national sport organisations and national governing bodies.

I constantly hear talk of the perceived lack of capacity of local sport administrators. In so far as this is a reality, the most constructive approach is to assist and facilitate, not impose, undermine or wrest control. In other words build up don’t tear down.

Local sport administrators aren’t a bunch of fools—their contribution, experience and knowledge—in the main thankless and voluntary should not be discounted, discarded or sacrificed on the altar of expediency.

The majority of local sport administrators are well intentioned and dedicated to improving how they run their sport.

What is cause and what is effect?

The bedrock of Olympic sport development will always be the national sport organisations and their members. Successful sporting nations provide clear precedent and guidelines as to the options that work best in respect of harnessing the human resource within national sport organisations.

Olympic sport organisations are made up of members, not for profit and volunteer based, a construct that is in accordance with the Olympic Charter.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) is obliged by virtue of the Olympic Charter to ensure that Olympic sports seek sources of financing which will enable Olympic sport organisations to maintain their autonomy in all aspects and that financing be in accordance with the Olympic Charter and in such a manner that the dignity and independence of Olympic sport organisations and the national Olympic committee are not harmed (Bye-law to Rule 31 and 32-9.4)

The TTOC can be suspended or have its recognition withdrawn from the IOC (Olympic Charter Rule 31 9.2) if the making or expression of the will of the national sport organisations or other entities belonging to the TTOC or represented by it is hampered by the effect of legal provisions or regulations in T&T or by acts of other entities within T&T, whether sporting or otherwise.

Olympic Charter Rule 31 5 places the additional duty and responsibility on the TTOC to work to maintain harmonious and cooperative relations with appropriate governmental bodies.

However in doing so, the TTOC is obliged to preserve its autonomy and resist all pressures of any kind, including those of a political, religious or economic nature that may prevent the TTOC from complying with the Olympic Charter.

Some see it as a tall order maintaining harmony within the local sport environment but I am confident that once we avoid unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that institutionalises inefficiencies maintaining harmony is not a farfetched objective. In fact harmony will be a key indicator that the required process of excellence is well oiled and functioning.

When all is said and done, to put it plain and simple every stakeholder wants T&T to win and achieve consistent success on the international sporting stage on one hand while at the same time have sport and the values of sport make a contribution to the development of the youth of the nation.

Once the focus remains on the big picture and shared goals and values T&T sport will be fine.

God Bless. Keep the dream alive—ten Olympic Gold medals by the year 2024.

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Twenty-year-old Jehue Gordon brought some sunlight to a dull, cold Moscow morning at the 2013 World Championships, yesterday, winning his heat and qualifying for today’s semifinals.

Running in the last of five heats in the 400-metre hurdles, Gordon was made to work harder than he would have wanted, but won in a time of 49.52 to progress to today’s semifinal at 11.40 am (TT time).

It was a day that started with promise but ended without success for T&T.

Apart from Gordon, five T&T athletes competed in various semifinals but failed to progress to the finals while women’s 400-metre hurdler, Sparkle McKnight could not advance out of the heats, finishing last of eight in her effort.

Mikel Thomas finished fourth in his 110-metre hurdles semifinal while Wayne Davis was sixth. Thomas was tenth overall and Davis 11th.

Michelle Lee Ahye was fifth in her 100 metres semifinal in 11.33 which was not good enough to earn a place in the final which was won by Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica.

Also dropping out of competition in the 400 metres were Deon Lendore and Jarrin Solomon. Lendore was fourth in his semifinal in 45.47 and 12th overall while Solomon was also fourth in his event in 45.43 and 11th overall.

An optimistic Gordon said he felt good after his first place effort but insisted his time was not a major factor. “The time was really not significant. The idea was to make sure and qualify for the next round. Gordon said he used up as little energy as possible. “The semifinals really takes a lot out of you, so it is just to go home and recover as much as possible before tomorrow. I am happy with winning. Today was a bit colder than most days, but we had the full works and I am prepared,” Gordon revealed.

He described his race as “perfectly executed.”

“It was determined by how these guys in lane six and lane seven went out. It took me out of my game plan a little, because I wanted to go up until the eighth hurdle with 13 steps. I went about sixth to the sixth hurdle. These guys just did something crazy and in the end, I just focussed on my lane,” added Gordon.

Questioned on any comparisons with the London Olympics where he reached the final, Gordon said: “I have come here with a lot more experience. I was a lot calmer coming into the heats...although the pressure was building up in the call room as everybody was pacing around. This is my third World Championships and I came in a lot more settled. The medical team is giving me full support and the manager is making certain we have everything we need.”

McKnight was disappointed with her effort saying it was not her best race.

She said: “It was my first time competing at this level and I had a very long season and was just happy to be here and to compete.”

Davis said he focused on the wrong lane.

He said: “My body was out of position from the first hurdle. I lost the race from the first hurdle. This is the first time I have raced against this quality of field and sometimes it just takes a little getting to be able to run with these guys.”

Lee Ahye told the T&T Guardian she was not happy with her start but ran her heart out to the end. “Once I fix my start, I will be hard to beat in years to come.”

Lee Ahye has already turned her attention to the relays and in the absence of both Kelly Ann Baptiste and Semoy Hackett, she understands her role. “

“My focus is the 4x100 metres on Saturday. All eyes will be on me to run the anchor leg, our aim is to reach the final and then go after it.”

Lendore said he went into his race with lots of confidence but, midway through, he did not have any reserves in the tank. “I just tried my best to come home but I am not one to look back. I am looking to prepare for the 4x400 in a couple of days. I love relays so I will be ready to run the 4x400.”

Solomon said he went out hard but he may have been intimidated by the presence of Olympic champion Kirani James and the Olympic silver medallist. “I tied up a little bit coming home, that is what caused me to finish fourth, but overall it just was not my day,” he said.

“I look at the positives, I was able to come back and run a decent time after running a personal best, and I came fourth in a race with some really good people.”

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..advance to Pan Am semifinals

Triple World Masters Shooting champion Roger Daniel is dedicating his recent success to daughter Kiyomi Daniel who turned five years on Thursday, the day after he completed his historic gold medal feat at the 2013 World Masters Games in Turin, Italy.

Daniel said his triumph on her birthday means lot to him as she was born on the opening day of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The two-time sportsman of the year thanks God and all who supported him. "I firstly have to give thanks to God for giving me health and strength and making my way a smooth one to get here. I want to also say thanks for the support from all at home, my work, the Chief of Defense Staff, Major General Kenrick Maharaj and all other high ranking officers of the T&T Army and fellow officers.”

Daniel returns T&T tomorrow.

Nine-year-old Sean Yearwood has left a unique record among the 120 players who took part in the Caribbean Chess Carnival held at the Queen’s Park Oval last week.

The Trinity Junior School student is the only player to finish the seven-round tournament with a perfect score, topping the 16 players in the Under 10 group with seven points.

In second and third places, respectively, were LeBron Alfred on six and Kyron Agostini on five.

This win enhances the string of victories that Yearwood has scored over the last two years and reinforces the position he has earned as the country’s leading under-ten chess player.

Earlier this year he led the Under 11 group in the Pan Am Scholastic Championship at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. In 2011 the Trinity Junior schoolboy emerged the Under 8 National Champion and took the Under 10 title in the following year.

Among his several other victories was his success in the Under 10 category of the Carifta Games.

Yearwood learned the game from his father and developed under various coaches including leading player Alex Winter Roach.

FM Keron Cabralis made an impressive return to the sport by topping the Under 20 group, finishing on five-and-a-half points.

Behind him by half a point was Orlando Husbands of Barbados with Vishnu Singh taking third place on four-and-a-half.

Yu Tien Poon of Barbados played unbeaten to lead the Under 14s on six and a half. Joshua Johnson finished a full point behind him with Anviti Adhin of Suriname placing third on five.

Pierre Chang of the Netherlands also played unbeaten among the Under 12s, scoring six, half a point ahead of Carlos Javier Castro Bello of Cuba and Mikel Martin.

The Novices group saw the largest entry, 24 players, and the keenest competition with three players topping on six points each, requiring a tie-break separation—Shev Nagir, Matthew Surajbally and Isiah Mondesir.

The tournament, organised by the T&T Chess Foundation and sponsored by First Citizens Asset Management Ltd, attracted 120 players from the region, including Barbados, Cuba, Suriname, the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic.

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Sporting events such as the Caribbean Chess Carnival provide many benefits to players, coaches, clubs, parents, communities “and the list goes on.”

So said Gillian Benjamin, strategic marketing and sales manager of First Citizens Asset Management Ltd when she addressed the prize-giving ceremony of the tournament held at the Queen’s Park Oval last week.

Through the four-day international event, she noted, “we had a chance to meet people from differing backgrounds, cultures and perspectives but all with a common interest, a love for this game that is a true match of the minds, a sport for the intellectual.”

Benjamin said her company was proud to sponsor the Chess Carnival for the third consecutive year “as chess is a natural fit for First Citizens Asset Management. “Just like this great game, asset management is about planning, developing strategies and taking calculated risks so as ways to achieving your goals.

“Moves are made with forethought and precision and while we may want an immediate result we may have to be patient in order to achieve ultimate success,” she pointed out. “We too, as investment managers, must carefully analyse and assess the situation before making our moves.” The tournament, she said, had been an exciting and intense four days of competition with some surprises and some expected outcomes. “It has also been an opportunity to learn, grow and make a few new friends. We applaud the winners but we also recognize and congratulate all the players for their enthusiastic participation which must have contributed to the success of the tournament.”

She complimented the organizing committee of the T&T Chess Foundation for “an excellent job” in putting together thje tournament. She added: “We thank you for allowing First Citizens Asset Management to play a role in this event. It has been our pleasure to support the development of the youth of our nation through this sponsorship and we look forward to forging a long lasting relationship; with the T&T Chess Foundation.”

The tournament attracted 120 players from across the region, including Barbados, Cuba, Suriname, The Netherlands and Dominican Republic.

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Top local swimmer, George Bovell had his FINA Short Course World Cup medal streak halted at 19 medals from 19 finals when he placed fourth in his pet event, the men’s 50m freestyle final on the second and final day of competition at the Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europa-Sportpark (SSE) Pool, Berlin, Germany yesterday.

A silver medal winner in the same event at the same venue in 20.97 seconds last year, the 30-year-old Bovell was hoping to improve on Saturday’s 100m individual medley bronze finish.

However, swimming out of lane seven in the eight-man final, the Michigan-based T&T swimmer could only get to the wall in a time of 21.19 seconds to trail World and Championship record holder, South African, Roland Schoeman (20.86), Russian Vladimir Morozov (21.00) and Germany’s Steffen Deibler (21.04).

Others in the finals were Australian Matthew Abood (21.22), Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen (21.23), Aussie James Magnussen (21.39) and Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov (21.45).

In the morning session Bovell, competing in the fourth of fifth heats won in 21.55 ahead of Liukkonen (21.61) and Holland’s Jasper Van Mierlo (22.01) to be the sixth fastest qualifier overall.

Also in the heat were Switzerland’s Erik Van Dooren (22.29), Canada’s Joel Greenshields (22.78), Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima (22.82), Colombian Tom Siara (22.86) and Slovakian Roman Kucik (22.90).

On Saturday, Bovell took bronze in the 100m IM in 51.65 seconds behind Morozov (51.13) and Australian Kenneth To in 51.21.

In the heats, Bovell III who was seeking a second straight gold in the 100m IM won the third and final heat in 52.90 ahead of Germany Dimitri Colupaev (53.15) and Markus Deibler (53.24).

On Wednesday, Bovell, a four-time Olympian began the World Cup with gold in the 100m individual medley in a new national record mark at the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium Eindhoven, Holland when he touched the wall in 51.15 seconds.

The time bettered his 51.20 clocking set in winning gold on October 20 last year in Berlin, Germany, the fifth stop of the 2012 World Cup. Second home in the final was his World Cup rival To in 51.31 while Morozov, got bronze in 51.50.

Bovell also competed in the men’s 50m breaststroke but missed out on a spot in the gold medal splash by one spot after he was fifth in the second and final heat in 27.23 to be the ninth fastest in the field.

A day later he got bronze in the men’s 50m freestyle final after he clocked 21 seconds flat out of lane six, to trail Russian World Long Course 50m freestyle silver medal winner, Morozov (20.66), and World Long Course 100m freestyle champion, Magnussen (20.98), who also won the 100m freestyle (45.60) in Holland on Wednesday.

Over the past ten days Bovell, an Athens Olympic 2004 bronze winner in the 200m IM has also captured a bronze in a star-studded men’s 50m freestyle final in a national record mark of 21.51 at the FINA Long Course World Championship at the Palau Sant Jordi Swimming and Synchronized Arena, Barcelona, Spain behind Brazilian Cesar Cielo (21.32) and Morozov (21.47)

Last year, he rebounded from a medal-less London 2012 Olympic Games—his fourth Olympics—where he was seventh in the men’s 50m freestyle final with awesome performances in the World Cup to claim 16 medals, seven gold and nine silver for second overall “Most Outstanding Men’s Swimmer”.

Bovell is expected to arrive home today for a well deserved rest before resuming his training for the six remaining legs of the World in Moscow, Russia (October 12-13); Dubai, United Arab Emirates (October 17-18); Doha, Qatar (October 20-21); Singapore (November 5-6)’ Tokyo, Japan (November 9-10) and Beijing, China, (November 13-14).

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The National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) issued a press release this morning, addressing the withdrawal of two Trinidad and Tobago athletes from the 14th IAAF World Championships. Here is the full release:

“The National Association of Athletics Administrations wishes to confirm the withdrawal of athletes Ms. Kelly Ann Baptiste and Ms. Semoy Hackett from participation in the 2013 edition of the IAAF World Championships being held in Moscow, Russia.

“The absence of both athletes is related to doping matters of varying degrees and complexity. In the case of Ms. Baptiste this association was notified on Thursday 08th August by the IAAF and the results management process is currently underway and as a result, any further comment at this stage would be premature and inappropriate.

“In the case of Ms. Hackett, the IAAF has appealed the recent decision of the NAAA’s Disciplinary Panel to exonerate Ms. Hackett and has also re-suspended her pending the appeal which is to be heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

“The NAAA takes this opportunity to reinforce its commitment to drug free sport and is confident that the legal process regarding both athletes will take its due course.”

The press release was issued by NAAA president Ephraim Serrette, who is attending the Championships in Moscow.

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• MOSCOW

His legs were hurting, the rain was pouring and he was trailing late in the race.
Doesn’t matter. This is Usain Bolt.
And nothing gets in the way of him and first place, especially when he’s driven as he was yesterday in the 100 metre final at the World Championships.
Bolt blew by Justin Gatlin with about 30 metres to go and never glanced back. He also didn’t even crack a smile when he crossed the finish line because this took a lot more work than the world’s fastest sprinter usually needs.
Gatlin was second and Bolt’s Jamaican teammate Nesta Carter took third.
Of all Bolt’s titles, this one will have a special meaning, considering he false-started two years ago in the final to lose his crown.
Now, it’s his again.
“It’s always great to get back your title,” said Bolt, who won in 9.77 seconds. “I’m happy with myself I got it done.”
Like Bolt, Brittney Reese and Ashton Eaton were just as dominant. Reese won her third straight long jump gold, while Eaton now possesses the world and Olympic decathlon titles.
Many of Bolt’s top rivals were missing from the field. Gone were Tyson Gay (doping offense) and Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, who was the reigning champion but skipped the worlds because of an injured hamstring.
Shortly after the race, Bolt sauntered around the track with his country’s flag tied around his neck like a cape. These days, he has to be the Superman of his sport. Given all the recent doping scandals, track needs someone to save the day.
For now, he will settle for blowing away the dark cloud over his proud sprinting nation, which saw some of its most decorated sprinters fall from grace. Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson and Veronica Campbell-Brown all tested positive for a banned substance and weren’t at the Worlds.
“I’m just doing my part by running fast, winning titles and letting the world know you can do it clean,” Bolt said. “My focus is to continue doing what I do.”
And that means running fast times, even on a drenched track.
What started as a steady drizzle turned into a downpour just before the gun sounded. So much so that Bolt clowned around when he was introduced to the crowd, pretending to open an umbrella.
Really, though, rain doesn’t bother him. Not in the least.
Neither does anything else, like falling behind early. He knew he might trail Gatlin at the halfway mark, because Bolt has never been a good starter and may have been extra cautious considering what happened in South Korea two years ago.
In the lane next to him, Gatlin got off to a great start and thought he might have enough in the tank to beat Bolt, just as he did two months ago in Rome.
“Then I saw these long legs coming up on my right side,” Gatlin said. “He’s great. He’s just great.”
These two aren’t exactly the best of friends, but after the race, Gatlin congratulated Bolt, who had some kind words in return.
“For him to say to me, ‘Hey, you’re the guy who pushes me to go even faster.’ I’m honored in that,” Gatlin said. “But I thought I had it for a second.”

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Cleopatra Borel has appealed to the public to not condemn Trinidad and Tobago sprinters Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Semoy Hackett, following their withdrawal from the 14th IAAF World Championships, here in Moscow, Russia.

Baptiste left Moscow on Saturday, following a positive drugs test.

Hackett also left the Russian capital after she was re-suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for a doping violation in 2012. Hackett had been cleared to run by a National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) disciplinary panel. The IAAF, however, has appealed that decision, taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

After the story broke on Saturday that Baptiste had tested positive for a banned substance, T&T sprint star Richard “Torpedo” Thompson said that his former Louisiana State University (LSU) teammate had always represented the country “honestly and in a clean way”.

Another T&T sprinter, Keston Bledman, who trains with Baptiste in Clermont, Florida, said he was saddened by the news.

Yesterday, Borel added her voice, the veteran thrower giving valuable insight into the life of an elite athlete.

“I hope the public understands that we’re all human, and that they support us, all of us. It’s not just one or two athletes. It’s the entire team. We support Kelly-Ann and Semoy 100 per cent, and we wait for them to come back with open arms.

“We’re all human and we all make mistakes, whether it’s intentional or unintentional. The whole doping thing is extremely difficult for athletes. There have been times when I’ve almost taken a medicine, and someone would remind me to check it and I’d check it and realise that it’s on the list. It’s really exhausting, and it’s really, really hard for us.”

T&T sprint hurdler Mikel Thomas also threw his support behind Baptiste.

“I personally don’t know enough on the situation to truly speak on it. But I know Kelly as a person. She’s a great person, hard-working athlete, and I could only pray for the best for her.”

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Richard “Torpedo” Thompson has thrown his support behind Trinidad and Tobago teammate Kelly-Ann Baptiste following her positive drugs test.

Baptiste, who bagged World Championship women’s 100 metres bronze for T&T two years ago, voluntarily withdrew from the 2013 Worlds, which are taking place here in Moscow, Russia. She left Moscow yesterday.

Thompson told the Sunday Express that while he does not know the details of the situation, he considers Baptiste to be “honest and hard-working”.

“We’ve heard about the supposed positive test. However, it’s difficult for me to speak on the matter because I haven’t spoken to Kelly-Ann directly. I’m just waiting to hear, just like everybody else.

“It’s obviously a difficult time for Kelly-Ann. It would be a difficult time for her family, her camp, Trinidad and Tobago. However, I’m sure she will get a lot of support through it. Kelly-Ann, I’ve always seen as a stand-up person.”

Baptiste and Thompson were teammates at Louisiana State University (LSU) in the United States.

“I’ve seen her from the junior level. I went to school with her, and I know her work ethic and her mentality. She’s always been one to represent Trinidad and Tobago honestly and in a clean way.

“Kelly-Ann has done the right thing. If she knows she’s tested positive,” Thompson ended, “withdraw from the Games, go back home, and take care of it.”

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Solomon clocks personal best

Trinidad and Tobago’s Deon Lendore will clash with American LaShawn Merritt for the second time in as many days, at the 14th IAAF World Championships, here in Moscow, Russia, today.

At 12.13 p.m. (T&T time), Lendore and Merritt will run in the second of three men’s 400 metres semi-final heats. Lendore has been drawn in lane four, while Merritt will be on show in lane six. The race also includes Belgian Jonathan Borlee and Bahamian Chris Brown.

The top two finishers in each semi-final heat will advance automatically to tomorrow’s final.

In the third preliminary round heat, at the Luzhniki Stadium yesterday, Merritt topped the field in 44.92 seconds, leading all qualifiers into the semis.

Running blind way out in lane eight, Lendore trailed the leaders coming off the final turn. On the home straight, however, the Texas A&M University student battled his way into second spot, crossing the line in 45.17 seconds.

In the fifth and final heat, T&T’s Jarrin Solomon clocked a personal best 45.19 to secure the runner-up spot, behind reigning champion Kirani James, the Grenadian getting home in 45 seconds flat.

Solomon told the Express he was very satisfied with his effort.
“I came off the (final) bend in first. I said, well, it’s best we just keep these knees going. Kirani came at the end, but it was a good result for me.

“I know I’m in shape,” Solomon continued. “I know I was ready to go. The guys made me rest this past week, because I’m always one to be grinding. I listened to them and rested, just took it easy, so my legs felt fresher. We knew I was ready to go fast, ready to go even faster than this, so hopefully I’ll be able to pull something else out.”

At 12.21 p.m., James and Solomon will clash again, running side by side in the third semi-final, in lanes four and five, respectively. Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos, who finished second to James in the Olympic final last year, has been drawn in lane six.

After the opening round, James complimented Solomon on his fine run.

“The guys in my heat tried to put themselves in the position that would give them the best opportunity to advance to the semifinals. Solomon ran a great race. He really put the pressure on me in the home straight. He ran very smart, very tactical. It was a very competitive race for me, which is good for our event, and ultimately good for the sport.”

Wayne Davis II and Mikel Thomas will represent the Red, White and Black in the men’s 110m hurdles semis, today. At 11.05 a.m., Thomas will do battle in heat one. And at 11.14, Davis will be in action in heat two.

In the preliminaries, yesterday, Davis finished second in heat two in 13.38 seconds to secure an automatic berth in the semifinal round. He matched Ryan Wilson stride for stride, the American clocking 13.37 for a narrow victory.

“I’m really surprised at my time,” Davis told the Express. “It’s a season’s best. Can’t be anything but thankful to God. Honestly, it surprised me because I’ve been riddled with a bunch of injuries coming up to the Games, and I haven’t been able to run at full speed for probably about three weeks.”

Thomas finished fourth in the opening heat in 13.41 seconds, advancing to the semis as a “fastest loser”.

“It was a good run,” said Thomas. “Blanket finish, just threw my frame. We’re going to look back at this race, talk to my coach, and figure out what we need to do to live to see another race.”

The final takes place at 1.30 this afternoon (T&T time).

At 11.35 a.m., T&T sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye will face the starter in the first of three women’s 100m semi-final heats. The championship race is scheduled for 1.50 p.m.

In the opening round, yesterday, Ahye finished fifth in heat four in 11.37 seconds, qualifying for the semis via the “fastest loser” route.

Just three centimetres separated Cleopatra Borel from a spot in today’s women’s shot put final. In the qualifying round, yesterday, the T&T field athlete threw the iron ball 17.84 metres—her best effort this season. The 12th and final qualifier for the final, Belarussian Alena Kopets, produced a 17.87m throw.

“I’m disappointed, yes, but I’m also happy because I’ve been injured this year. I hyper-extended my index finger,” Borel told the Express, fighting back tears.

“I went to China and I couldn’t even compete. I really thought my career would be over at that point, so I know where I am in terms of my recovery. I feel really blessed just to be here today and to be able to throw. I’m proud of the effort I put together this year.”

At 3.37 this morning (T&T time), Jehue Gordon will open his bid for precious metal in the men’s 400m hurdles. The T&T athlete—the second fastest man in the world this year at 48.00 seconds—has been drawn in lane five in the fifth and final first round heat.

And at 4.06 a.m., T&T’s Sparkle McKnight competes in heat three in the women’s 400m hurdles preliminaries.

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