Trinidad and Tobago needs its athletes to continue to inspire future generations.
So said T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Larry Romany as he addressed the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) Annual Awards Function and Induction Ceremony on Sunday at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port of Spain.
"Today in our society, we need people who are creative, who are imaginative, and who inspire us all," Romany told the gathering.
In his short, but passionate offering, Romany said few people in T&T's history have done more to represent this country on the world stage than the athletes.
He recalled Richard Thompson's 100 metres silver medal performance at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and also remembered being at school in 1976 when Hasely Crawford brought home T&T's only Olympic gold medal to date, also in the 100m.
"That day, in a town of roughly 5,000 people…everybody knew who Trinidad and Tobago was, and this is what we need," Romany declared. "We need people to stand up and be counted, and in a positive way."
The TTOC head also urged the athletes to continue to inspire T&T, and to show that this country "is the best in the world".
The main speaker on the night was Pastor Clive Dottin, who delivered a lengthy, but lively speech, also intended to inspire athletes to their best.
He pointed out persons such as Brits Roger Bannister—the first man to complete a mile run in under four minutes—and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, as persons from whom athletes can draw inspiration.
Pastor Dottin also provided some spiritual inspiration for the crowd by reminding them of the importance of a relationship with God in everything they do.
During the presentation of awards, Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Rondell Sorillo ran away with the main accolades, copping Female and Male Senior Athlete of the Year titles respectively.
The brothers from Toco, Keshorn (javelin) and Elton Walcott (triple jump) shared the Male Junior Athlete of the Year honour, while the Female version went to sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye.
Tonya Nero (Female) and Richard Jones (Male) were the Road Runners of the Year.
The top Clubs were Neon Trackers (Senior Champion Club), Memphis Pioneers (Junior Champion Club) and Cougars (Juvenile Champion Club).
Veteran administrator Rawle Raphael was also honoured for his contribution to track and field spanning five decades, as he was inducted into the NAAA Hall of Fame.
Some of the outstanding performances for 2011 recognised at the function included Baptiste's 10.90 100m clocking; Richard Thompson's national men's record 100m run of 9.85 seconds at the National Championships; Cleopatra Borel's 19.42m shot put effort in Paris in July, and Keshorn Walcott's 72. 50m javelin throw at the National Junior Championships.
Junior triple jump record-holder Elton Walcott, was named for his 16.43m leap, while Machel Cedenio (400m, 46.89s), T&T's 4x100m relay women (42.50m), Nero (half-marathon; 1:15:46) and shot putter Hezekiah Romeo (19.68m) were also named for outstanding performances.
Also on that list were Sorillo (200m, 20.16), Keston Bledman (100m, 9.93), Kai Selvon (200m, 22.89) and Ahye (100m, 11.20).
By Kery De Freitas
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com