media_artricles :: 2014

Thompson proud to represent TT

TRIPLE Olympic medallist Richard Thompson said representing Trinidad and Tobago has been one of his proudest moment.

Thompson, who anchored this country’s men’s 4x100m to successive medals at the 2008 (silver) and 2012 (bronze) Olympics Games in Beijing, China and London, England respectively, added that his efforts were his team-mates and the country and not for self.

“To this date being an Olympian has been one of my proudest moments in life.

“There is something about wearing the national colors that gives me a feeling like no other. My anchor leg runs were not about me but about the team and goals we set as the team for ourselves and our families and for everybody else in Trinidad and Tobago who supports us. It was about national pride.”

The national men’s 100m record holder (9.85) was delivering the feature address at the16th annual TTOC Awards Ceremony at Theatre 2 of the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of- Spain on Sunday.

Thompson added that the performances of national athletes come with great sacrifice. “People see the couple of seconds or minutes that we compete for but don’t see the dedication, hardwork and sacrifices like being away from your family for months, waking up early to train while everyone else is asleep, not being able to eat or drink what the average person does.”

He added, “It is not over a matter of days, weeks or months that our craft is perfected. It takes years to build and build until you have gotten to the Olympic level.”

Meanwhile TTOC president Brian Lewis said our country’s Olympians are motivators. “Our very own Olympians are inspirational stories of individuals who have conquered against all odds.

“Not all have won an Olympic medal but in their journeys have become champions in life.”

Lewis also acknowledged former South African president Nelson Mandela for using sports to unify South Africa. “(Mandela) He walked the talk and made sport as the cornerstone of his post-apartheid strategy to unify and peacefully transform a bitterly, racially divided South Africa.

Not even 27 years in jail, 18 years in Robben Island could diminish or discourage or deter his conviction that sport is the difference maker.”

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