sep.11.2008
To whom much is given much is required."
These were the words offered to the Trinidad and Tobago 4x100m Olympic Relay Team by quadruple Olympic medal winner Ato Boldon during a dinner hosted by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on Tuesday evening.
Richard "Torpedo" Thompson, Keston Bledman, Marc Burns and Emmanuel Callender ran the final dash of the race to win silver for Trinidad and Tobago. Teammate Aaron Armstrong who participated in the semi final relay heat is here among team members celebrating.
Thompson also earned silver in the men's 100-metres dash.
Boldon, the CBS and NBC Sports television broadcast analyst for track and field, added: "For the next two days you will continue celebrating but now is when your responsibility starts. People are now going to look to you as role models, as exemplars."
The former Opposition Senator called on the young men to continue doing what brought them to the point of winning silver in Beijing.
"I have seen so many people in all spheres of life, who the minute that success comes to them they relax, they get complacent, they start changing who they are and how they approach their craft," Boldon said.
"You have to continue along this path. Now it gets a little more difficult because you have created an expectation. Next year is the World's Championships. Imagine if you come back here with anything less than silver or gold next year! Prepare from now that everyone is not going to always have the vision that you have for yourself, that's why it is called your vision."
Boldon made special mention of Darrel Brown whose career has been dogged by injury.
The athlete suffered a hamstring tear at the Olympics.
"Darrel Brown has been an integral part of track and field in this country for a very long time," said Boldon. "He has carried that torch for several years. I want to wish him all the best in his recovery and that we need him back.
"Sometimes we discard people who we think have not been in that moment. Understand very clearly that this relay team has their silver medals because of the work that Darrel Brown has done over the past years to get them to this point."
Brown who underwent surgery for his injury is recovering in the United States.