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

Olympic shooter Roger Daniel captured gold at the 2013 World Masters Games currently taking place in Turin Italy.  The Commonwealth and Pan American multiple medalist shot his way to the Over 30- Ten metre Air Pistol title at the National Shooting Polygon on Monday, August 5, the second day of the meet.  The Army sergeant amassed a total of 575 after six rounds (99, 95, 95, 97, 95, 94) to deny the Italian shooters in victory in front of their home fans. Italian champion Massimo Ciccilio had to settle for second (570), ahead of compatriots Michele Potenza (567), Massimo Garnero (566) and Paolo Bianchi (557).  Daniel’s gold medal performance was the first ever by a Trinidad and Tobago athlete at the global multi-sport meet for athletes over the age of 30 years.  Speaking after his historic feat, the 43 year old charismatic shooter said he had to stay focus in what he considered a long competition. “There were many more shooters than I expected so I had to find ways of staying focused and recharged.”  Daniel added that overcoming the heat was another challenge.  “The temperatures were as high as 34-36 ^o C (degrees Celsius). I was finishing my bottles of water and was drenched with sweat at the firing line but I had to remember the other competitors were under the same pressures.”

The medal was the second of the meet for the Chaguanas resident as he had earlier collected a bronze in the men’s 50m Free Pistol on Sunday. The two-time Sportsman of the Year returned a score of 531 to finish behind Ciccioli (543) and Ganero (539) and prevented an Italian sweep of the top three spots as Potenza was in fourth (516).  Daniel said his third place finish came despite shooting from one of the darkest spots on the range. “It was challenging because of the position I had to shoot from. My position could not be changed because of the vision of the target and my height but I gave it my best shot and came away with the bronze." Daniel added that the heat was again a hurdle as temperatures were in the range of 38 to 40^oC and he “was always sweating.”  The 2010 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games champion is in line for more gold as he is leading the men’s 25m Center Fire Pistol Event after the first day which took place on Tuesday with 579 points. The remaining competitors will be in action on Wednesday. Daniel will also be action on the second day of the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Wednesday. Italian Valentino Battistelli leads after the first day on Tuesday (520).  The former national hockey player will also compete in the 25m standard pistol in the meet which comes to an end on August 11.

Results

10m Air Pistol

1^st-Roger Daniel (T&T) 575 pts

2^nd-Massimo Ciccioli (ITA) 570

3^rd-Michele Potenza (ITA) 567

4^th-Massimo Garneo (ITA) 566

5^th- Paolo Bianchi (ITA) 557

6^th-Alejandro Beviacqua (ARG) 552

7^th Andrea Brilli (ITA) 548

8^th-Marco La Verghetta (ITA) 536

50m Free Pistol

1^st-Massimo Ciccioli (ITA) 543 pts

2^nd- Massimo Garneo (ITA) 539 pts

3^rd-Roger Daniel (T&T) 531pts

4^th -Michele Potenza (ITA) 516 pts

With only two days left before they are due to flick off their campaign at the fourth Pan American Cup to be held in Brampton, Toronto, Canada, this country’s senior men’s hockey team was still without visas, confirmed tickets and accommodation for their stay in North America.

Yesterday, the 18-man playing squad skippered by Darren Cowie and the coaching staff headed by former national goalkeeper Glen “Fido” Francis was expected to depart for Canada. However, when contacted officials at the T&T Hockey Board confirmed the team was still stranded in T&T.

Pressed further, the official said despite numerous appeals to corporate T&T, the T&THB had been unable to secure the requisite funding to facilitate the team's participation in the upcoming Pan American Cup, which served as a qualifier to next year’s World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands.

Discussions are still being held regarding support for the undertaking given the penalties and setbacks the team may face if they fail to appear at the tournament. However, up to yesterday afternoon, the managerial staff had yet to secure the visas and tickets for the players and five-member technical staff.

According to the local hockey board official, T&T’s failure to appear at the tournament will stifle the development of the team, and by extension hockey in the country, back a few years as a dip in the team’s ranking at this stage would put the team out of contention for a spot in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, Scotland next year.

T&T is presently ranked 30th in the world and failure to appear at this tournament will also exclude the team from automatic participation at the 2017 Pan American Cup as only teams that finish among the first six in this year’s tournament qualify automatically for the next edition of the tournament.

To qualify for the 2017 Pan American Cup T&T would have to first participate in the 2015 Pan American Challenge to earn a place and failure to appear also has potential to affect the national women’s team who is destined for Argentina in September for the women’s version of this tournament.

Should the team get to Canada, it will open its campaign in Pool B versus Chile on Saturday from 3 pm followed by Brazil on Sunday, then play Canada on Tuesday to end round-robin pool play.

Regional powerhouse Argentina, Mexico, USA and Uruguay are in Pool A.

At the end of the pool round-robin series, the top two teams will advance to the cross-over semifinals while third and fourth go to semifinals for fifth to eighth spot ahead of the final playoffs for bronze and gold.

Source

..sets national record 100m IM at Short Course World Cup

Four days after capturing a second bronze medal at a FINA World Championship in the men’s 50m freestyle Long Course final, T&T’s George Bovell III began his Short Course World Cup with gold medal in the 100m individual medley in a new national record yesterday.

This was on the first day of the two-day meet at the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium in Eindhoven, Holland.

The 30-year-old Bovell, swimming out of lane seven, was third at the half-way mark of the race with a split of 23.62 seconds after a slow reaction time of .69 seconds, but improved drastically over the final 50m to take gold in 51.15 seconds for 974 FINA points, the third best on the day, which better his 51.20 clocking set in winning gold on October 20 last year in Berlin, Germany.

Second was his World Cup rival, Australian Kenneth To in 51.31 who had led at the half. Russian Vladimir Morozov, who had the fastest reaction time, got bronze in 51.50.

The other finishers were Australian Daniel Tranter (52.09), Germany’s Markus Deibler (52.56), Holland’s Mike Marissen (52.97), South African Darian Townsend (53.17) and Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima in 53.20.

In the morning session, the Michigan-based Bovell, swimming out of lane four in the third and final heat was joint-second with Townsend in 53.29.

Yet again, the T&T swimmer had a split of 24.62 and another slow reaction time of 0.72 for the sixth fastest qualifying time overall to Townsend’s 24.11 split.

The winner of the heat was Tranter (52.93), who was just 0.01 hundredths of a second faster off the starters’ block while Townsend was third in 5.

Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen was fourth in the heat in 56.31 followed Switzerland’s Donald Cameron (56.87), Spanish duo, Sergio Caballero (1:20.91 mins) and Aitor Grande (1:29.09 mins) while Italian, Fabio Scozzoli did not start the event.

Last year Bovell rebounded from a medal-less London 2012 Olympic Games – his fourth Olympics – with awesome performances in the World Cup to claim 16 medals, seven gold and nine silver for second overall “Most Outstanding Men’s Swimmer” behind USA’s Anthony Ervin.

Today, Bovell who also has an Olympic bronze (Athens 2004) in the 200m IM behind Americans Michael Phelps and Lochte will go after another gold when he lines up in the fourth of five men’s 50m freestyle heats from lane four again.

Others in the heat are Holland quartet, Coen De Bruijn, Jasper Van Mierlo, Tom Lommers and Ruud Van Bommel as well as France’s Yannick Agnel, Canadians, Tommy Gossland and Chris Manning and Liukkonen.

On Saturday, Bovell, swimming out of lane eight had the slowest reaction time to the starter’s pistol of .71 seconds, but recovered well enough to touched the wall in a new national Long Course record of 21.51 seconds for third behind Brazilian Cesar Cielo and Morozov (21.47).

At the completion of today’s event, he will travel to Berlin, Germany for the second World Cup leg on Saturday and Sunday before returning home for a short stay.

Source

The owners of the Red Steel are looking beyond their team and has a long term plan to improve cricket in this country and as a result, they have decided that not a single cent of the profits made by their franchise will leave these shores.

This is the word from co-owner of the team Jon Talarico the CEO and chairman of Empire Marketing Company out of New York. Talarico is part owner of the team with the other owner being Sri Lankan businessman and owner of Lycamobile, Subash Allirajah.

In an exclusive interview with the T&T Guardian, Talarico said : “We are not going to take the profits out of Trinidad and Tobago. We have decided that we are in this to assist in the development of the game in T&T and we are going to re-invest every cent into the development of the young people you have here playing the sport.

“We will continue to make the Red Steel stronger and stronger and we will be putting things in place to assist the players and management, in order that we have the best chance in any tournament we play.

“Mr Subash through his company has assisted with cricket development in Sri Lanka, England and even in the Indian Premier League (IPL), so the story is the same here.” Lycamobile is the biggest pre-paid Sim distribution company in the world and investments in many countries. Empire Marketing Company manages entertainers and deals in the lucrative entertainment industry.”

Talarico said the reason they decided to invest in the Red Steel was because of the fact that this country produced the best T20 team in the Caribbean. “Trinidad has the best T20 team in the Caribbean and for this reason we decided to invest in this team. Also we find that the people in this country are very passionate about the sport and also very knowledgeable. With all this in mind and given the great talent you have on the Red Steel team, we decided to get on board and we have decided to stay the course and assist not only this team but cricket in this country. We want to get down into the communities and assist as well. If we want to make a great contribution then we need to get down into the communities and get to the youths and this is what we are going to do.

“We like our captain Dwayne Bravo very much and we also like the foreign players and the others who have been assembled on this team. The young talent on this team is amazing and we are to be involved with people like Nicholas Pooran, who had an amazing game against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. What a talent he is and with players like these we are going to come back from our first two losses and go on and win this tournament.”

Source

CHAMPIONS Harvard Club were made to work hard all the way before coming away with a last gasp 18-16 victory from their Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) Toyota Championship match against former winners Caribs rugby club on Saturday at the Queens Park Savannah I rugby pitch.
The match between the two local rugby powerhouses was a tense and physical one, which saw referee Anthony Pontiflette having to be firm to keep control of play, which was robust at times and saw tempers flaring at times.
Caribs had the better of the first half and went into the break with a 6-3 advantage via two penalties from Don Rojas. And they came out firing in the second half to stretch the lead to 16-3 by scoring unconverted tries through Samuel Roberts and Richard Staglon.
The former champions would have expected to pull away from there, but Harvard fought back. Ryan Hinkson and Joseph Quashie both scores tries, and Harvard also enjoyed on conversion.
With two minutes left on the clock the Beer Boys still held a 16 -15 advantage, but Harvard launched a last ditch assault on Caribs’ try line and forced an infringement. And up stepped Hinkson to convincingly bury the penalty between the sticks and earn three points that saw Harvard pull off a last gasp two point victory, much to the excitement of their supporters.
Harvard are hoping to repeat the results of their breakthrough year last season, when they won seven of eight titles, and finished second in the Tobago International Sevens tournament.

Source

MINISTER of Sports Anil Roberts is already focusing on the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil following yesterday’s bronze medal performance by Trinidad and Tobago swimmer George Bovell III in the 50-metre freestyle final of the 15th FINA World Long Course Championship in Barcelona, Spain.

Not only did Bovell earned bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece in the 200-metres Individual Medley, but he has now become the first TT swimmer to medal at a World Championship.

His triumph comes only six years after the lanky 30-year old decided to contest the 50-metre freestyle event. He also triumphed amidst mounting criticisms that he had become too old to compete at the highest level.

Yesterday Roberts who had been by his side, as he has always been, in his capacity as coach, called for the entire of Trinidad and Tobago to stand up and acknowledge the achievements of his swimmer.

“He has done it at the right time when everyone thought he couldn’t do it. People were all over the television and radio saying that Bovell had become too old and now look what he has done. He came third among some of the best swimmers in the world,” Roberts said.

Bovell produced a new national record and also set a another personal best time with his third place finish in the 50-metre final in 21.51 seconds. The race was won, not surprisingly, by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in 21.32 seconds, the man who claimed gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and bronze at the London Olympics in August last year.

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov secured second in the final yesterday and received the silver medal in 21.47 seconds.

However Roberts made it clear that what really stood out for him while watching the race, was the desire by Bovell to dig deep amongst some of the best swimmers in the world and eke out third for his country.

“George is aware of the fact that people felt he was too old to medal and he really wanted to win a medal, not only for himself, but more so for his country. He wanted to put his country among the big swimming nations in the world and he has done just that,” Roberts explained yesterday.

Roberts who could fast become one of the best sports ministers this country has ever had due to his knowledge of sports, coupled with his involvement and passion to ensure that local athletes aspire to the highest in world sports, said Bovell managed the race perfectly.

“There was no breathing problem like in the Olympics. He got a good start and remained calm and cool and dug deep to fly the flag of TT on the podium, despite the torture of many ahead of the competition.”

Roberts said that Bovell’s achievement should be a fine example to young people that they must never give up, even in the midst of criticisms. He noted that Bovell will now continue his preparation for Brazil 2016 through other short course meets, saying “Brazil here we come.”

Source

Bovell 3rd in 50m free at World Championships

Another day, another record for ace Trinidad and Tobago swimmer George Bovell, who yesterday blazed to a 50-metre freestyle national record 21.51 seconds swim, which landed him FINA World Championships long course bronze in Barcelona, Spain.

What made Bovell’s swim at the Palau Sant Jordi pool all the more impressive is the fact that he did so from lane eight after scraping into the final a day earlier.

There was no stopping Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho, who secured a hat-trick of titles in the 50m free with a 21.32 swim. The 50-free world record holder also won in 2009 in a championship record 21.08, and in 2011 when clocking 21.52.

Second was Russian Vladimir Morozov, who touched the wall in 21.47.

As in the semi-final, Bovell’s reaction time of 0.71 seconds was the worst in the field, but he still ensured T&T reached the podium for the first time at a World Long Course Championships. At the 25-metre mark, he was level with the field, but a strong final 25 brought Bovell to the wall just behind the leaders after Cielo had made his move.

Bovell’s effort was good enough to beat Adrian Nathan (USA, 21.60) and Florent Manaudou (France, 21.64), the reigning Olympic 100m free and 50m free champions respectively, into fourth and fifth.

Also in the final were USA’s Anthony Ervin—a former world and Olympic champion in the 50 free, South Africa’s Roland Schoeman (21.85) and Frenchman Frederick Bousquet (21.93), who finished sixth to eighth in that order.

Not only is it a new personal record for Bovell but a new national record in the 50 free. It was just the time the swimmer was looking for, as he told the Express on Friday that he needed to clock 21.5 to secure a medal.

It is Bovell’s third bronze medal in top-level world competition, after he medalled in the 200 IM at the 2004 Olympics, and the 100 IM at the short course “Worlds” last year.

Sport Minister Anil Roberts praised the T&T swimmer, describing yesterday as an “historic day for Trinidad and Tobago”.

“(It was) a phenomenal swim,” Roberts told CCN TV6 from Barcelona. “He beat the world’s best. He beat the Olympic champion Manaudou, he beat Nathan Adrian the Olympic champion last year in the 100m freestyle, and got up on the podium from lane eight. A fantastic finish, and his finish in the last five metres was the best he has ever seen.”

Amateur Swimming Association of T&T (ASATT) president Lindsay Gillette hailed Bovell’s achievement as “fabulous”. He pointed out that the Olympic medallist has done the hard work in training, and is equipped with “a very good coach” in Roberts.

Gillette said national swimming continues to make strides with a number of the younger swimmers performing well at home and in the US, and said Bovell’s achievements will further inspire young swimmers. It is very timely, he said, that the national aquatic centre, now under construction, is scheduled for completion next year.

The ASATT head also had words for Bovell’s critics. “(To) the detractors who were saying he should retire (after finishing seventh in the Olympic 50 free final), perseverance is important. George has proved it. It tells people listen, be careful what you say. We must continue to support our athletes regardless,” he said.

Gillette added: “George is a very dedicated individual; swimming is his life. He has (had) his downs before, but he is the kind of individual (where) being down makes him work harder to do better and great things, and (Worlds bronze) is the result.”

Previous Article Cross Traffic wires Whitney rivals

Next Article TTOC president: Bovell is an inspiration

Source

On behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) I extend congratulations to George Bovell 111 on yet another world best achievement in his Bronze medal in the 50m freestyle at the 2013 FINA long course world championship.

Mr Bovell's dedication, commitment and indomitable will to succeed no matter what challenges and obstacles he may face.

Stands out as a beacon of hope and inspiration to the youth of Trinidad and Tobago.

His pride ,passion and patriotism . His determination to remain unwavering to the ideals of fair play and clean sport.

The TTOC extends sincerest congratulations to George Bovell111 , his family and coaches and the T&T swimming fraternity.

Brian Lewis

President

TTOC

Joshua, Johnson make big splash at Public Courts.

Usain Bolt’s balky hamstring is healed. So, too, are any other nagging injuries that have been holding him back in recent months.

The fastest man on the planet feels completely healthy heading into the world championships in Moscow next week.

His sport can’t say the same thing.

Track has a dark cloud hanging over it after some of the best sprinters recently tested positive for banned substances, a list that includes Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson.

These days, Bolt’s task may not be to just win titles, but to win in spectacular fashion, which could be one way to change the conversation his sport is currently mired in.

The Jamaican sensation insists there’s no added pressure and that once he coils his 6-foot-5 frame into the starting blocks, his focus is only on one thing—the finish line.

“I can’t let those scandals cloud my job,” Bolt wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “I see running as a gift given to me to inspire people.”

He certainly puts on an entertaining show, preening and prancing before a race and then dominating once the gun goes off. As is often the case, Bolt will be the star attraction in Moscow even in a depleted field.

“I’d be lying if I said we have the normal anticipation and hype going into the worlds,” said Ato Boldon, a four-time Olympic medalist and NBC sprint analyst. “The fans, on social media, they’re like, ‘I’ll watch, but it’s not like I can see Gay vs Bolt. It’s not what it could’ve been.’”

Maybe not. But there’s always the prospect of what numbers Bolt can put on the board, because a world record is always possible when he steps on the track.

Bolt’s proud sprinting country has fallen under scrutiny after Powell and Simpson tested positive for a banned stimulant at their national championships in June. Before that, Campbell-Brown had a positive test for a banned diuretic at a meet on the island in May.

Obviously, that doesn’t reflect well on his nation.

“Of course there is an impact, but I have to remain focused on making my country proud,” said Bolt, who will be featured as a character in the video game “Temple Run 2” from Imangi Studios and given special abilities that will make him run—as if he needs it—even faster. “Right now, my only focus is winning three gold medals at worlds.”

Bolt has been virtually unbeatable since his rise to prominence leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He’s won six Olympic titles and shattered world records in the 100 (his current mark is 9.58 seconds) and the 200 (19.19).

Both the current records were set in 2009, the year after Beijing, which kept track in the headlines for the right reasons.

In 2013, the year after the London Olympics, Bolt is essentially racing against the clock again. His main competition is gone. Yohan Blake, who famously beat him in the 100 and 200 at Olympic trials last year and who won worlds in 2011 when Bolt false-started, is out with a hamstring injury. Gay will be a no-show after relinquishing his spots when he failed drug tests this summer.

Not that Bolt is too concerned with whomever is stepping into the blocks next to him—never has been, really.

“Having the best athletes in the world in the finals is always good for the sport,” Bolt said. “However, I have to focus on what I have to do and that’s winning three gold medals at worlds.”

The main person in his way figures to be Justin Gatlin, the American who edged him at a meet in Rome nearly two months ago. Asked if Gatlin is on his mind, Bolt responded: “I never focus on any single athlete.”

Gatlin certainly is concentrating on Bolt, though. Gatlin is eager for a rematch on an even grander stage and with even more fans watching, just to validate his success that day in Rome against a sprinter who rarely gets beat.

“I have mutual respect for him,” said Gatlin, who added a bronze medal in London to the gold he captured at the 2004 Athens Games. “I’m not scared of anything. I have to (compete) anyway, so why do it with fear in my heart?

“He knows that I’m going to come with my ‘A’ and he’s going to come with his ‘A’ game, because we’re both the kind of people that turn it on when the lights come on in a competition.”

Source

KENDALL CUFFY is the man responsible for running the sport of tennis for the next two years.
The former top junior was voted in as president of the Tennis Association of the Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) during the annual general meeting last Saturday at Eddie Taylor Public Courts, King George V Park, St Clair.
Cuffy, who turned 45 years old last year and captured the veterans’ singles and doubles titles in the Tranquillity Open Tennis Tournament for the last two years, replaced Jermille Danclar and will serve for the next two years.
The left-hander is the holder of a masters degree in business administration from Henley Management College, Reading University, Great Britain, as well as an associate degree in accounting from Costal Community College, Georgia USA, and a bachelor of science degree of management studies, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Barbados.
Cuffy will be working alongside Anthony Davidson (secretary), Ken Corbie (assistant secretaty), Nola Smith (treasurer) and Phillip Robinson (public relations officer).
Davidson’s son Jelani was one of the leading Under-14 players in the region last year, while Smith’s son Lendl is a former Davis Cup player who was crowned national champion for the third time last year.
Robinson, a former C class runner-up in the Classified Championships, is the father of Gianluc, one the leading junior players in the country.

Source

T&T, represented by three male and two female archers secured four spots for next year’s CAC Games after an overall impressive showing at the recently concluded Archery World Cup in Medallin, Colombia.

The World Cup was the first qualifying event for the CAC Games, and will be followed by the second and final qualifier in Guatemala next May, where T&T’s recurve archers will attempt to qualify for the main event in Mexico.

Among the feats recorded by the T&T archers in last week’s event was a new national record of 229 points (out of a maximum 240) in a narrow runner-up finish to Venezuela.

The successful men’s team included George Vire, Rakesh Sookoo and Hasmath Ali. T&T also landed one female compound place for the CAC Games.

Following their successes in the team events, the archers moved onto the individual elimination event, where they competed for ten available places. Sookoo won his encounter with Barbados’ Richard Morris 139-133, before Ali scraped past Costa Rica’s Juan Carlos Solano in a shoot-off. Solano also qualified with a ninth spot, while Vire secured the tenth with the same score as Ali and Solano.

The female compound matches were equally exciting with Cezair shooting another national record of 136 (out of a possible 150) to overcome Teresa Abreu of the Dominican Republic in her first match. Cezair and three other archers advanced to the final stage to shoot for the three places available in this division. Cezair lost to Sabrina Hermes of Guatemala.

However, the two losing women had shot the same score and went into a 15 arrow shoot-out to secure the final qualifying place.

The match between Cezair and Espinal was a nervous affair, and eventually wound down to the last three arrows with the T&T archer just a few points behind. Cezair subsequently held her nerve and shot three nines. Espinal shot slower and recorded two tens with her first arrows, but with the clock running down could not reproduce this and shot a poor arrow which saw Cezair win 130-125 to secure the last spot for T&T.

T&T’s only other female archer Samantha Jagesar shot well in her quarter-final match but exited to eventual winner Sabrina Hermes, 127-113.

Source

Captain of the Red Steel Dwayne Bravo was hard on his men after their four-wicket loss to Barbados Tridents in their Limacol Caribbean Premier League T20 clash at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday night.

The Red Steel batting first on winning the toss crashed to 52 all out and although pacer Fidel Edwards grabbed 5/22 to trouble the home team, they reached their target of 53 for six after eight overs to claim the points.

Brava speaking on the second successive defeat for his side said :”We are embarrassing our fans out there and I feel for them. We are taking too long to understand what is required to win matches and our players have to think deep and hard and come out of this.”

With the pitch offering generous bounce and turn Bangladeshi Shakib Al Hasan grabbed a world record of six wickets for six runs to rout the Red Steel. According to Bravo the batsmen needed to apply themselves better to the task.

“We had information coming from the middle all the time and those who went out there should have understood what the pitch was offering and play accordingly. Had we batted out the overs, who knows what could have been the end result.”

Looking ahead to the next three games will be in Trinidad and Tobago, the skipper said :”We know that so far we have let down the fans but we are looking forward to them showing up at the Oval and supporting us. All the away teams have lost so far in the tournament, so it is important that we win the games at home so that we can stand a good chance of making the play-offs.

“The pitch at the Oval is expected to be better for T20 cricket than the one here and hopefully our batters can put their heads down and come to the party. In this game we sorted out the problem of the slow start that we had in the first game but then the middle fell apart. We have a good team but I need the players to take responsibility for what has transpired so far and show their hands. They need to fight hard for this team to come back from the two defeats and we are looking forward to much improvement.”

The team flew into T&T at 10am yesterday morning and will have a batting session only at the Queen’s Park Oval this evening after settling at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain. Today, they are expected to have another two sessions and this will be followed by a final intense practice session tomorrow.

Bravo ended by saying: “We want to keep a relaxed atmosphere in the team but at the same time we want to show that intensity that would win us games. We have a very good opportunity playing in front of our own fans over the next three games and we are looking forward to it.” (VM)

​Source

An athlete’s journey to the Olympics is never easy. Nor is it short. To be an Olympian means to push every boundary, to dig deep into the reservoirs of soul and mind, to compete with every ounce of energy.

How then do we inspire a new generation and the next one to undertake the Odyssey to the Olympic Games? To put aside distractions and stay the course—a course that is filled with obstacles. The temptations to slip into mediocrity and to lower the performance bar is ever present, the road to excellence—sustained excellence—is not a crowded one.

Just one year ago in London, T&T created its own Olympic history with four Olympic medals representing the most ever since the red, black and white first participated in the global multi-sport event way back in 1948. How do we build on London 2012?

Good structure provides a framework in which excellence can flourish: NSO and the Olympic Committee’s job is to remove obstacles from the pathway to success.

In this context, ten gold medals by the year 2024 is more than just a medal objective. If it were, it would be doomed to fail. It first has to be a culture, a mindset, an attitude, a life experience and a process.

It can’t be rhetoric, wishful thinking or a half-hearted effort.

Ten gold medals by 2024 is also about transparency and accountability—a yardstick and a benchmark.

A guide and fence line that says excellence lives here. It’s a challenge to live an uncommon life—a step-by-step progression where sportsmen and women improve every day and compete up to their potential, understanding that a little improvement each day makes a big difference over time.

Ten gold medals by 2024 is intentional—setting the right priorities and doing the things that matter most.

In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell said: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”

How to unlock a winning mindset?

You have to work at it. A winning mentality is built up over a period of time. It’s not a case of being born with a good attitude and work ethic.

You have to surround yourself with people that have accountability inside of them. They want to win every single day. High standards have to be set.

Sport leaders, coaches, managers and administrators set the tone for a winning mentality. They create a winning environment.

Young people thrive in an enjoyable atmosphere, one that encourages hard work and preparation.

How do we instill the drive to keep going every single year, to keep winning titles, trophies and medals...that relentless nature that winning habit?

Winners understand it isn’t always going to go their way. You will face adversity, but you can’t get too down when you are losing or get too carried away when you are winning.

The right mindset comes from having a belief in your ability and the confidence to overcome difficult moments.

You need people who will set an example with how they behave, act and train.

Faster. Higher. Stronger—Citius. Altius. Fortius.

The globally recognised Olympic Games is the showpiece event. The pinnacle.

What’s the master plan for the showpiece?


Brian Lewis is President of the Olympic Committee. For info on Olympism and the Olympic Games visit www.ttoc.org.

Source

l BARCELONA

After swimming nearly a mile, yesterday, Katie Ledecky knew it was time to get going.

Did she ever.

Looking stronger at the end of the gruelling race than she did at the beginning, the 16-year-old American obliterated the world record in the 1,500-metre freestyle by more than six seconds, for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships.

“She’s absolutely fit,” marveled Mereia Belmonte of Spain, who finished far back in fourth. “Impressive. She’s probably made in the same factory as Michael Phelps.”

Missy Franklin picked up her second gold medal, as well.

Cruising through a demanding double, the 18-year-old star of the London Olympics easily won the 100 backstroke, then returned about an hour later to post the second fastest time in the semifinals of the 200 free.

“It’s tough but it’s fun,” Franklin said. “I’m super happy with my 100 back. It really got me pumped up for the 200 free.”

It was a good night for the Americans after they failed to win gold the previous day.

Matt Grevers and David Plummer went 1-2 in the 100 backstroke for the third US victory of the session. Conor Dwyer picked up a silver behind France’s Yannick Agnel in the 200 free, and Jessica Hardy chipped in with a bronze in the 100 breaststroke won by Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte.

The only disappointment for the US was Ryan Lochte, who laboured to a fourth-place finish in the 200 free.

“It wasn’t my night,” the three-time Olympian said. “But I have to put it behind me because I still have many races to swim.”

He hopes to compete in seven events in Barcelona, despite not being able to train as much as usual this year while taking part in his reality television show, What Would Ryan Lochte Do?

No such concerns for Ledecky, who is clearly in top form. She went stroke for stroke much of the race with defending world champion Lotte Friis, the Danish swimmer slightly ahead and both well under the world record pace set by Kate Ziegler in 2007.

Ledecky edged out front at the 1,300 mark and began to pull away, touching in 15 minutes, 36.53 seconds. A woman ran through the crowd with a blue flag that proclaimed “World Record”—Ziegler’s mark of 15:42.54 never standing a chance.

Friis also went under the old record, clocking 15:38.88, but it was only good enough for silver. New Zealand’s Lauren Boyle took the bronze.

“Around the last 200, I knew I could take off,” Ledecky said.

The 1,500 is a non-Olympic event—the longest women’s race at the Summer Games is the 800—but that made the achievement no less impressive.

Ledecky looks even stronger than she did last year while winning Olympic gold in the 800 free, a stunning breakthrough for someone barely known on the international stage.

Naturally, after that performance, she arrived in Barcelona dealing with the weight of expectations. Plus, she decided to take on an exhausting programme that also includes the 400 and 800 free.

Not to worry. Ledecky nearly broke the world record while winning the 400, and she’ll be a huge favourite in the 800—a worthy successor to Janet Evans and the proud US history in the women’s distance events.

“It was really tough, my hardest race ever,” Ledecky said. “I knew we were going pretty fast and I figured that whoever was going to come out on top was probably going to get the world record. So I just had to be careful not to push it too early or push it too late and just touch the wall first.”

Franklin breezed to victory in the 100 back in 58.42 seconds. After capturing four golds and a bronze at the London Olympics, the recent high school graduate is trying to join Phelps as the only swimmers to win eight events at a major championship. She is now two for two at the Palau Sant Jordi, adding to her gold in the 4x100 free relay.

Australia’s Emily Seebohm was next in 59.06, with the bronze medal going to Japan’s Aya Terakawa in 59.23.

After the medal ceremony, Franklin hustled off to get ready for the 200 free semifinals. She barely qualified for the final of that event in London, and was edged out for a bronze medal by one-hundredth of a second.

Franklin has spent much of the past year working to improve her freestyle, and the results showed in the semis. Franklin easily qualified for the final with the second-fastest time, 1:56.05, trailing only world-record holder Federica Pellegrini of Italy.

“Hopefully, I will keep the momentum going,” Franklin said. “Hopefully, Team USA will, too. We’ve had an absolutely incredible evening, and I’m so proud of all my teammates.”

Agnel blew away the field—Lochte included—in the men’s 200 free.

The big Frenchman pushed the pace right from the start and never let up. He touched in 1:44.20, a full body length ahead of the field, setting off another wild celebration from the large French contingent in the crowd.

The Americans did pick up a medal, but not necessarily from the swimmer they expected. Dwyer, a friend and former training partner of Phelps, took the silver in 1:45.32. Danila Izotov of Russia claimed bronze in 1:45.59.

Lochte missed a spot on the podium by 0.05.

Agnel is actually a training partner of Dwyer’s, having moved recently to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club to work with Phelps’ longtime coach, Bob Bowman.

“I am so surprised,” said Agnel, the reigning Olympic champion. “I did not expect such a result.”

Grevers showed he’s still the man to beat in the 100 back after winning gold at London. The American was second at the turn but overtook France’s Jeremy Stravius on the return lap, winning in 52.93. Plummer also got past Stravius for the silver in 53.12, while the Frenchman settled for bronze, 53.21.

“It’s been a great day for the team,” Grevers said. “It was motivating watching Katie destroy the world record from the ready room. That really got us psyched.”

Meilutyte just missed the world record she set the previous night in the semifinals of the 100 breast, winning in 1:04.42. Russia’s Yuliya Efimova was next in 1:05.02, while Hardy—the former world-record holder—pulled out a bronze at 1:05.52.

“Maybe the excitement and wanting to win altered my stroke,” Meilutyte said. “I was dying toward the end of it. There’s still things to improve, which is great.”

Source

Trinidad and Tobago veteran road cyclist Emile Abraham stood tall on the podium on Sunday when he claimed the Tour of Quebec in Canada.

The 2007 Pan American Games silver medallist, who rode for Predator Carbon Repair, took the winner’s white jersey for three of the four stages to finish the undisputed winner in the sixth edition competition.

Abraham just needed to have a good finish in the fourth and final stage, a 65-kilometre criterium on Parliament Hill in Quebec, after winning both opening stages on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, he retained the leader’s yellow jersey although failing to win, before he made certain his triumph by edging out Australian Douglas Repacholi (second) to the line, while Pierrick Naud, the first Canadian to cross the finish, was third. Abraham also picked up the overall green jersey for best sprinter.

The US-based Abraham was more than pleased with his “amazing week” in Canada, which he said exceeded his expectations. The rider last year missed out on the final stage of the event because he failed to sign in. And he almost missed out this time around due to “logistics” of competing in Canada.

“…It was during the week before the start of the Tour that I finally decided to take part,” he told the Quebec media. “Things took a wonderful turn. I really could not have hoped for better. “

Overall, Naud, rider for Team Garneau Quebecor, was second, and Repacholi of Stevens Racing, third. Naud grabbed the blue jersey as the best Under-23 rider, and Anton Varabei (Team Jet Fuel Coffee), for his climbing skills, got the red jersey.

Source

Three-time Olympic shooter Roger Daniel will compete at the 2013 World Masters Games in Turin, Italy, which starts on Friday through to August 11.

Daniel, a multiple Commonwealth and Pan American medallist will be Trinidad and Tobago’s lone competitor at the Games. He will compete in the 10-metre pistol and 50m free pistol events, as well as the 25m centre fire, 25m standard pistol and 25m rapid pistol competition.

The 43-year-old veteran target man is hoping to medal at the competition for shooters age 30 and over.

“I am hoping to medal and make Trinidad and Tobago proud,” Daniel said recently. “I want to stay fit and health and go there and do what I have to do.”

In terms of preparation, the Army sergeant  is happy with his training, which he revealed was “a little more intense” this time, and he hopes the extra work will result in precious metal.

He is also getting ready for the 2014 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) and Commonwealth Games. Daniel won CAC gold in 2010.

“This meet will help me prepare for the 2014 as I can work on fine-tuning and my technical skills. I will be able to see where I need improvement. I will also be trying out new equipment, which I will be using for the first time.  This meet is similar to the level of the Commonwealth and CAC Games.”

Daniel has been in good form so far this year, striking gold at the Copa del Caribe, ACOM Games in Martinique, and was second at the 2014 CAC Games qualifiers.

He also took time to pay tribute to Lloyd Henry, who he said introduced him to Olympic shooting, as well as Brent Thomas, who has also assisted his career.
Source

PIARCO, Trinidad: Former World Junior champion Jehue Gordon seems to be rounding into form at the right time for the 14th IAAF World Championships of Athletics set for Moscow, Russia.

On July 19 the 2012 London Olympic finalist won his first Diamond League race taking the Monaco leg in 48.00 in the second fastest time of the year and also of his career. Gordon’s victory was more impressive as he ran out of lane eight and defeated a stellar field including two time Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, double world champion Kerron Clement of the USA and Olympic and World Championships medallist Puerto Rican Javier Culson.

Speaking at the departure of the T&T World Championships team on July 25 for a ten day training camp in Finland, Gordon said the Monaco win lifted his confidence and thanked his support staff. “It really boosted my confidence. I have  a good team working with me. My massage therapist Ian Sharpe has been doing a really good job. (Sharpe was present in Monaco). My psychologist is Dr. (Margaret) Ottley and coach Dr. Ian Hypolite. I must acknowledge the really close support of my mother (Marcella Woods) and my little brother who have inspired me a lot to go out there and give my best effort before I came back home so I could get with a boost of confidence before the World Championships.”

Gordon competed in his first World Championships four years ago in Berlin, Germany and stole the headlines. The then 17 year old stormed in to the finals and missed out on a medal by 0.03 seconds when 2005 champion Bershawn Jackson (USA) produced a strong finish to edge him for the bronze. Gordon clocked 48.26 and became the second fastest junior ever behind the world junior record holder American Danny Harris (48.02). Gordon is also the youngest ever finalist in the event at the World Championships. Since World Champs debut Gordon when on to take the 2010 World Junior title and was sixth in the London Olympics finals last year, lowering his national record to 47.96 in the semifinals.

The University of the West Indies-St. Augustine Sports Management student was not able to reproduce his Berlin achievement at the 2011 Worlds in Daegu, South Korea. He had to contend with almost not running as the T&T federation had inadvertently left out his name on the 400m hurdles heat sheet. He was lated allowed to run and bowed out in the semifinals. However, in Moscow, the Belmont Boys Secondary/Queen’s Royal College graduate want to go all he way to the finals. “This is my third World Championships. After bowing out at the semifinal stage in 2011 I am really trying to surpass that and hopefully make the finals. I will give it everything in the finals.

” It has not been smooth sailing for the Maraval resident has he is battling a pain in his ankle but he is determine to overcome that challenge. “I have been having some pain in my ankle since January and it really has not gotten any better. But I have been training and competing like if nothing happened. Nobody knows anything because I just want to go out there and give my best. It (the ankle plain) started back hampering me and I really wanted to look at it before flying out to the World Championships. ” The 21 year old said his team-mates can do well in focus if they remain focussed. “Some are looking at us as an underdog team but that could be a benefit for us because many not be expect us to get as many medals as we got in the Olympic Games. We just need to focus on ourselves and have some good training sessions and be the best we can be.”

Gordon also used the younger ones on the team to seek help from their older team-members. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help as there will be lots of nervous around the atmosphere. We are here as one, as a family and here for each other. “

Source

Three-Olympic shooter Roger Daniel will be Trinidad and Tobago's lone representative  at the 2013 World Masters Games in Turin, Italy from August 2 to 11.  The multiple Commonwealth and Pan American Games medallist will leave for the multi-sports Games on July 31 and is scheduled to compete in five shooting events.  The 43 year old Army corporal will do battle in the 10m pistol, 50m free pistol, 25m centre fire, 25m standard pistol and the 25m rapid pistol competitions.  Daniel is aiming to medal at the global meet featuring competitors over the age of 30 years of age. "I am hoping to medal and make Trinidad and Tobago proud.  I want to stay fit and health and go there and do what I have to do." The 2010 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games champion says he will up against some of the world's best.  "I feel great. I will be meeting former World and Olympic champions. I think I would do well.  I heard it may pretty competitive. I am going to do the best I can do." The Chaguanas resident added that he is pleased with his training ahead of the Games. " I have prepared. I did the same preparation I did for previous games though it was a little more intense this time around which I think should carry me through to medal at these games."

Daniel explained that he will be using Masters Meet to try out recently acquired equipment ahead of the 2014 CAC and Commonwealth Games. "This meet will prepare for the 2014 as I can work on  fine tuning and my technical skills. I will be able to see where I need improvement. I will also be trying out new equipment which I be using for the first time.  This meet is similar to the level of the Commonwealth and CAC Games."  The two-time Sportsman of the Year paid tribute Lloyd Henry who introduced him to Olympic shooting. "(Mr. Henry), he  encouraged me to push myself  in the sport.  He got me started and then I worked under Brent Thomas who helped me to sharpen up on my skills.  I had several other coaches since who I would like to thank. "

The multi-talented sports man is hoping to maintain the successful trend he has been experiencing so far for the year. Since his triumph at the Canadian Grand Prix  in February when he won the Masters and Open division, Daniel also struck gold at the Copa Del Caribe, Caribbean Championships and the ACOM Games and was second at the 2014 CAC Games qualifiers. "It has been amazing year for me.  At the Copa Del Caribe and the Caribbean Champs I won eight gold medals each."