media_artricles :: 2015

Borel, Walcott dominate NAAA 2014 awards

Shot putter Cleopatra Borel remains the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) Senior Athlete of the Year – Female, having copped the award for the second consecutive year on Saturday. It was her third major award in 13 days.

She was named the T&T Guardian newspapers top female athlete for 2014 on December 23. Six days later she received her fourth T&T Olympic Committee Sportswoman of the Year award.

Olympic gold medal winner Keshorn Walcott is the new Senior Athlete of the Year – Male. IAAF World 400-metre hurdler Jehue Gordon took home the award in 2013. Walcott was also the TTOC top male athlete for 2014.

Borel’s training partner Portious Warren, another shot putter, clinched the Junior Athlete of the Year – Female, while World Junior 400-metre champion Machel Cedenio was named the Junior Athlete of the Year – Male.

The awards were presented at the NAAA’s ritzy annual awards ceremony held at the Radisson Hotel on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain this weekend.

Borel, in the year under review, won gold for T&T in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico, in addition to silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. She maintained her winning ways at the World Challenge in Belgium.

Walcott secured a silver medal for this country at the Commonwealth Games where he was able to register a new national record, too. At the Continental Cup, he also medalled, placing third.

It was gold all the way for Cedenio. From the World Juniors, to the CAC Games and the CARIFTA Games the 400-metre specialist remained a beacon. Cedenio was the TTOC top junior male athlete for 2014.

Warren did T&T proud at the CAC Games, too. She won gold. At the CARIFTA Games, she copped bronze.

George Smith and Samantha Shukla were declared the Most Outstanding male and female cross country runners, while Curtis Cox and Tonya Nero were choice picks for the honours of Most Outstanding Road Runners.

Interviewed, Borel told the T&T Guardian the results at the weekend awards had new meaning for the sport of shot put, citing that both she and Warren were winners.

“I feel a lot of pride in the fact that Portious Warren won the Junior Female Athlete of the Year. To have two shut putters…I don’t think that has ever happened before. I feel tremendous pride. I am almost a lot happier about her award than my own, because it really means that much to me. We work under the same coach at the (Hasely Crawford) Stadium. We message each other on Facebook and of course we compete against each other. I can’t express the joy that I feel that two female shot putters took these awards. It’s really tremendous,” she said.

Borel added, “It feels really good. We work really hard–not that other athletes don’t work hard—we really put out a tremendous effort, so it’s nice to be recognised.

“It gives you that extra boast to keep going, knowing that your hard work is paying off. To all the awardees today, I say congratulations and we are really happy that the NAAA takes this time out to recognise us.”

Responding to questions about erecting a new space at home to display her awards, Borel revealed that all her awards were still in boxes, securely stored.

She explained that while she lived in the moment of receiving the accolades, she did not dwell on them, because her work was incomplete.

At the end of her career, she said, all the tributes in her name would come out of storage to accurately represent the tremendous contribution she would have made to the world of sport.

Borel described last Saturday as tremendous. She went to the gym and had a really tough morning workout. She made it to the awards ceremony safely, healthy and happy.
“I am really thankful for that. It feels tremendous. Every day is a gift. I really feel good about today. It’s great to see the kids both the winners today and the winners that weren’t recognised. The future of track and field is important to me. So really, I’m most excited about the juvenile categories and the youngsters. I’m certainly proud of the discipline that they can show at such a young age. It’s truly remarkable,” she said.

The NAAA 2014 Honour Roll

Senior Athlete of the Year–Female
Cleopatra Borel

Senior Athlete of the Year–Male
Keshorn Walcott

Junior Athlete of the Year –Female
Portious Warren

Junior Athlete of the Year –Male
Machel Cedenio

Champion Club 2014–Juvenile
Cougars Athletic Club

Champion Club 2014–Juniors
Memphis Pioneers

Champion Club 2014 –Senior
Memphis Pioneers

Outstanding Performances:
Keshorn Walcott, 85.77 metres (New Record)
Michelle Lee Ahye, 10.85 seconds (New Record)
Deon Lendore, 44.36 seconds
Ayanna Alexander, 14.40 metres (New Record)
Richard Thompson, 9.82 (New Record)
Jeminise Parris 13.62 seconds (New Record)
Adell Colthrust, 10.79 seconds
Machel Cedenio, 45.13 seconds
Akeem Stewart
Shakeil Waithe, 72.75
Cleopatra Borel, 19.13 metres
Janeille Bellille, 51.85

Most Outstanding Road Runners
Tonya Nero
Curtis Cox

Most Outstanding Cross Country Runner
George Smith
Samantha Shukla

Girls Under 10
Nikkeda Peters
Boys Under 10
Reyshawn Andrews
Girls Under 12
Shaniqua Bascombe

Boys Under 12
Devin Augustine
Jordan Pope

Girls Under 14
Deleth Charles

Boys Under 14
Timothy Frederick

Girls Under 16 (Track)
Jenea Spinks

Girls Under 16 (Field)
Peaches Stewart

Boys Under 16 (Track)
Tyrell Edwards

Boys Under 16 (Field)
Tyriq Horsford

Girls Under 18 (Track)
Jeminise Parris

Girls Under 18 (Field)
Chelsea James

Boys Under 18 (Track)
Akanni Hislop

Boys Under 18 (Field)
Andwuele Wright

Girls Under 20 (Track)
Aaliyah Telesford

Girls Under 20 (Field)
Portious Warren

Boys Under 20 (Track)
Machel Cedenio

Boys Under 20 (Field)
Shaquille Waithe

Women Open (Track)
Michelle Lee Ahye

Women Open (Field)
Cleopatra Borel

Men Open (Track)
Jehue Gordon

Men Open (Field)
Keshorn Walcott

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