Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Story by: Clayton Clarke
T&T Olympic Committee Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Roger Daniel and Cleopatra Borel-Brown are in line to collect the corresponding awards at the First Citizens Sports Foundation’s Annual Award ceremony which will take place at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port-of-Spain this evening beginning at 6 pm. Should Daniel win, it will mark the first time he is recognised by the Foundation while Borel-Brown, who won the award in 2002 and 2007, will be going for her third.
Daniel won two medals (silver and bronze) at the Commonwealth Games in India in October. First, he teamed up with Rhodney Allen to grab bronze in the 50m Standard Pistol pairs event, and returned later to just miss out on gold in the Individual Contest. Earlier in the year he won two medals at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico; a gold in the 25m Standard Pistol and bronze in the 50m. Borel-Brown was also among the medals in India, grabbing silver in the Women’s Shot Put, to become the first local woman to win more than one medal at the quadrennial Games. She also broke the national record three times during the year and won the gold medal at the CAC Games.
In all, 49 athletes have been nominated by their respective national sporting organisation to attend the ceremony. Other names to make the shortlist include footballer Kenwyne Jones, swimmer George Bovell III, middle distance runner Jehue Gordon, boxer Tariq Abdul Haqq, batsman Adrian Barath, golfer Stephen Ames and cyclist Njisane Phillip.
The Junior Sportsman and Junior Sportswoman will also be crowned tonight after the top ten nominees from an original field of 34 were selected during a function at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad on Friday night. The favourites to take the honours are swimmers Christian Homer and Cherelle Thompson, who won the corresponding awards at the TTOC’s ceremony in December.
Tonight’s event will be held under the patronage of His Excellency President of the Republic of T&T Professor George Maxwell Richards. During last year’s ceremony, the main honours went to middle distance runner Renny Quow (Sportsman of the Year), hurdler Josanne Lucas (Sportswoman of the Year) and Jehue Gordon (Youth of the Year).
Nominees
Men
Daniel Ramoutarsingh (automobile sports), Gordon Dalgleish (rugby), Kenwyne Jones (football), Adrian Barath (cricket), Dorian Alexander (taekwondo), Adrian Brown (powerlifting), Nikhil Kanhai (archery), Emile Ramsammy (horse racing), Derek Poon Tip (sailing), Darren Cowie (hockey), Rezan Mohammed (rally car), Colin Ramasra (squash), Nolan Tash (volleyball), Jehue Gordon (athletics), Kerwyn Pantin (badminton), Stephen Ames (golf), Yohansey Williams (tennis), Keron Cabralis (chess), Kwame Kinsale (karate), Njisane Phillip (cycling), Neil Diaz (bodybuilding), George Bovell III (swimming), Steven Lewis (basketball), Roger Daniel (shooting), William Albert (gymnastics), Tariq Abdul Haaq (boxing), Vernon Lee Kin (kayak/canoe), Hero Boodram (powerboats), Ancil Greene (triathlon)
Women
Juliana Straker (rugby), Kennya Cordner (football), Anisa Mohammed (cricket), Yolande McIntyre (powerlifting), Kelly-Ann Arrindell (sailing), Alanna Lewis (hockey), Kerry Leigh Sample (squash), Kelly Ann Billingy (volleyball), Cleopatra Borel-Brown (athletics), Nekeisha Blake (badminton), Monifa Sealy (golf), Carlista Mohammed (tennis), Aditi Soondarsingh (chess), Janelle Alexander (karate), Candice John (bodybuilding), Cherelle Thompson (swimming), Tiffani Williams (basketball), Joelisa Cooper (netball), Nina Chaves (kayak/canoe), Maria Gooding (triathlon).
Top 10 Junior Nominees
Christian Homer (Swimming), Cherelle Thompson (Swimming), Channon Thomspon (Volleyball), Denise Francis (Cycling), Quincy Alexander (Cycling), Amelia Corbie (Taekwondo), Kernesha Spann (Athletics), Quinn Cabralis (Chess), Cadell Lyons (Swimming) and Brandon Legall (Volleyball).