media_artricles :: 2014

TTCB president lauds Carifta athletes

Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath congratulated to the national junior athletics team after an encouraging showing at the recently concluded 43rd Carifta Games in Fort de France, Martinique.

In a TTCB press release on Wednesday, Bassarath said he was elated at the performance of the young athletes in Martinque.

He said all young people should look up to the Carifta athletes since their performances are worthy of emulation and that they have set a higher standard for others to follow.

The T&T contingent returned home on Tuesday wining a total of 25 medals comprising six gold, seven silver and 12 bronze which helped them to clinch second place in the overall medal standings behind Jamaica, who ended the four-day event with 88 medals.

Barbados placed third with 16 medals while Guyana and Guadeloupe were fourth and fifth respectively.

Bassarath said over the years only cricket and athletics have provided the platform for local athletes to realise their full potential and judging by the showing of the young athletes, T&T has a lot to look forward to from them in the near future.

“I want to recognise the National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAA) for the tremendous effort they have been making through their development programmes and all avenues that they have been pursuing to place our athletes on top,” said the TTCB president.

“The performances of the national junior team at the annual Carifta Games gives us another reason to be quite optimistic of the future of our young people who are continuing to show that our confidence in them is not misplaced,” he added.

T&T’s top athlete at the 43rd Carifta was Machel Cedenio, a 400 metres runner who grabbed two gold medals including leading the 4X400 metres Boys Under-20 team to gold in the final session of the competition.

The relay team comprised Cedenio, Asa Guevara, Nathan Farinha and Theon Lewis. Their winning time was 3:06.02 which bettered second placed Jamaica who clocked 3:07.71.

Cedenio also had the distinction of winning T&T’s first gold medal at the games, dominating the Boys Under-20 400 metres event on Saturday in 45.95 seconds.

Bassarath said the national junior athletes have shown that they possess the talent and the ability to challenge the highly favoured Jamaicans for top honours in athletics but that victory has only come through hard work and determination.

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