Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Written by Nicholas Clarke
T&T Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year Roger Daniel has dedicated his award to his late mentor and former T&T Rifle Association Public Relations Officer Lloyd Henry, who passed away this month at the age of 77. Daniel, who was presented with the honour at the committee’s annual award ceremony at the National Academy for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, credited Henry with introducing him to shooting and being instrumental in his success. “The news of his passing really hurt,” he said. “He was a father figure and mentor to a lot of us in the sport. He was the one who was pushing us all the time. This is the first time that shooting has won this award and we owe it to him.” “Mr Henry was the first person I met the first time I went to the [Robert Johnson] shooting range in Chaguaramas in 2001. There was a competition going on that day and he told me what to do, how to hold the pistol, and I ended up winning.”
Daniel’s achievements in 2010 included winning silver (Individual Contest) and bronze (50m Standard Pistol Pairs) medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India in October, a gold (25m Standard Pistol) and bronze (50m Air Pistol) at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico in July and a bronze (25m Standard Pistol) at the Championship of the Americas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. The T&T Defence Force corporal added that it had been a difficult task to balance his workload but that the rewards were well worth it. “It felt great to be given this honour after all the work I put in this year. It was a challenge to blend sport and promotions classes at the same time and having to take time off to compete at international events but all of those moments really lifted me. It was a great year for our sport.”