media_artricles :: 2015

Grannies bring home 17 medals

FOUR athletes, all over the age of seventy years, brought home 17 medals after representing Trinidad and Tobago at this year’s Huntsman World Senior Games in the United States.

Irma Riley, 74 of South Oropouche, her sister Ruby Jackson, 72 of Williamsville, Monica Tang Wing, 79 of Trincity and Daniel Laurence, 79 of Belmont of the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Athletic Association (Track and Field) competed in their age brackets at the international games. They threw the javelin and shot put and participated in the triple and long jumps, the standing long jump, and 50 metres, 100 metres and 400 metre races and won two gold medals, eight silver and seven bronze medals. Over 10,000 athletes from 19 countries represented at this year’s event.

Irma Riley said she, Jackson and Tang Wing have been competing for decades and have won several medals over the years. She said the Huntsman Games are held yearly in Utah and the top four athletes from the October 2016 games will advance to the 2017 Senior Olympic Games.

The former physical education teacher and present coach is excited but she is hoping for government’s intervention to provide financial assistance for the seniors’ attendance at these events. She said that over the years the government has provided a small contribution to the athletes while they, the athletes, have to foot the rest of the bill. “We have had to pay our own passage (and) when we go to the games, we do quite well.” Riley said. She said while this country had four representatives at the 2015 games, one Caribbean country in particular carried over 50 people to the event, including the athletes, their coach and physiotherapist.

In the October 2015 games, Riley won three silver medals after she competed in the 400 metres, javelin and triple jump and gained two bronze medals in the standing long jump and long jump. Jackson copped six medals – two gold medals in the 400 metres and standing long jump and two silver medals in the 50 metres and long jump and two bronze medals in the 100 metres and shot put. Tang Wing won three silver medals in the 50 metres, 100 metres and triple jump and bronze medals in the shot put and long jump while Laurence brought home a bronze medal in the 400 metres in the 75-79 age category.

About the Huntsman World Senior Games

The Huntsman World Senior Games, according to its website, includes 27 athletic events over a two week period each October. Its headquarters is in southern Utah, however the game is a renowned event among athletes from Japan to Russia and from Alaska to Australia. The games was founded by Daisy and John H. Morgan Jnr in 1987 as the Word Senior Games, an international senior sports competition. In 1989 Jon M. Huntsman, became the games principal sponsor. The Huntsman family, at the opening ceremonies, still welcomes the athletes and lights the torch in traditional Olympic fashion.

The games have been open to all men and women meeting the 50 year age requirement. The age requirement was reduced from age 55 in the second year, in order to include more athletes and to encourage those getting set for retirement to become involved in a personal fitness programme or team sport.

In addition to athletic events, the games promote health by providing screening for breast and prostate cancer and screening to also detect glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and decreased bone density.

The website said that concerts, dances and award socials for each sport are also part of the package.

A full-time staff who work year round and thousands of volunteer come together to host the game each year.

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