SPRINTER KELLY-ANN Baptiste, cyclist Njisane Phillip and cricketer Ravi Rampaul are among 49 nominees vying for the respective 2011 First Citizens Sports Foundation Sports Awards.
The 50th annual ceremony, under the patronage of President George Maxwell Richards, will be staged on February 8 at the Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.
Baptiste was one of Trinidad and Tobago’s shining lights in the sporting arena, in 2011, having claimed a bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in the women’s 100 metres, with a time of 10.98 seconds.
Phillip copped bronze at two major meets — in the men’s match sprint event at the Pan American Cycling Championships in Medellin, Colombia, and the flying 200-metres in a record time of 9.977 seconds at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Rampaul established himself as a key fast bowler for both the West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago. For the West Indies, Rampaul was a key performer during the ICC World Cup and international series against Pakistan (at home), Bangladesh (away) and India (both home and away) while, for TT, he took vital wickets at the Caribbean T20 Tournament and the Nokia Champions League in India.
In last year’s award ceremony at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain, shooter Roger Daniel and shot-putter Cleopatra Borel-Brown emerged victorious. Daniel is also vying for the 2011 Sportsman of the Year award, having been nominated yet again by the Trinidad Rifle Association, while former Sportsman winner and Olympic bronze medallist George Bovell III was selected by the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT).
There will be two other awards on offer - the Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award for the best sporting administration and the Lystra Lewis Award for the Team of the Year.
In addition, there will be the WOW moments, for the third successive year, which highlights the Top 10 Performances for 2011.
Nominees —
Amateur Boxing: Andrew Fermin (male) and Ria Ramnarine (female); Archery: George Vire (male); Athletics: Rondel Sorrillo (male) and Kelly Ann Baptiste (female); Automobile Sports: Sheldon Bissessar (male); Badminton: Rahul Rampersad (male) and Virginia Balwant (female); Body-building: Neal Bonaparte (male) and Tamara Ribiero-Bailey (female); Canoeing/kayaking: Ryan Mendes (male) and Nina Chaves (female); Chess: Ryan Harper (male) and Aditi Soondarsingh (female); Cricket: Ravi Rampaul (male) and Anisa Mohammed (female); Cycling: Njisane Phillip (male); Field Hockey: Kwandwane Browne (male) and Kristin Thompson (female); Football: Kevin Molino (male) and Karyn Forbes (female); Golf: Talin Rajendranath (male) and Monifa Sealy (female); Gymnastics: William Albert (male) and Thema Williams (female); Horse Racing: Brian Boodramsingh (male); Karate: Kwame Kinsale (male) and Janelle Alexander (female); Netball: Crystal Ann George (female); Powerlifting: Kerron Commissiong (male) and Cheryl Abraham (female); Rally: Latiff Khan (male); Rugby: Wayne Kelly (male) and Juliana Straker (female); Sailing: Andrew Lewis (male); Shooting: Roger Daniel (male); Squash: Colin Ramasra (male) and Rhea Khan (female); Swimming: George Bovell III (male) and Samantha Rahael (female); Table-tennis: Dexter St Louis (male) and Rheann Chung (female); Taekwondo: Lenn Hypolite (male) and Katherine Lee-A-Ping (female); Tennis: Yohansey Williams (male) and Breana Stampfli (female); Triathlon: Ancil Greene (male); Volleyball: Saleem Ali (male) and Krystle Esdelle (female).
Source: www.newsday.co.tt
By JOEL BAILEY