media_artricles :: 2015

Borel, Cedenio snare TTOC top Awards

AS predicted by the Guardian on Tuesday, track and field athletes Cleopatra Borel and Machel Cedenio won the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards at the 18th Annual T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Awards ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday night.

Again, track and field took the lion’s share of the awards on the night, five of the seven awards, as Khalifa St Fort (Junior Sportswoman of the Year), Akeem Stewart (Sports Personality of the Year) and Renny Quow (People’s Choice Award) were all honoured for their outstanding performances during 2015.

Also winning awards were swimmer Jeron Thompson (Junior Sportsman of the Year) and former national netballer Janet Bailey (Alexander B Chapman Award).

It was no surprise that Borel and Cedenio took home the top awards as both athletes had stellar performances. It was the third straight time and the fifth time overall that Borel won the award, after performing at a high level in the shot put event. The highlight of the year for Borel came in July at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada when she won gold with a top throw of 18.67 metres. It was Borel’s first gold medal at the Pan American Games, following a bronze in Brazil in 2007 and silver in Mexico in 2011. Borel also won the Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

Cedenio, who was a dominant athlete at junior level for a number of years, had a breakthrough year at senior level. The 400m runner also had a memorable Pan Am Games snatching two medals.

In the men’s 400m event he won silver and then anchored the T&T men’s 4x400m team to gold. The relay team included Jarrin Solomon, Lalonde Gordon and Quow, who received 1347 votes to win the People’s Choice Award. Borel and Cedenio helped T&T to its best ever finish at the Pan American Games with eight medals, bettering the performances of the 1967 (Winnipeg), 1971 (Cali) and 2003 (Santo Domingo) national teams, which each managed seven.

Paralympian athlete Stewart also enjoyed his time in Toronto, setting world records in the discus (63.03m) and javelin (53.36m) events in the F44 categories at the Parapan Am Games in August.

Thompson, competing in the 13-14 boys category, won numerous medals to lead T&T to the most gold medals (27) at the Central American and Caribbean Nation Swimming Championship (CCCAN) in Barbados in June.

St Fort, coached by former national sprinter Ato Boldon, broke the national Under-18 record to win silver in the girls 100m event at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Colombia, stopping the clock at 11.19 seconds.

Former national netball star Bailey, who played goal defence and goalkeeper, was given the Alexander B Chapman Award. Bailey passed away at age 80 in November. The Alexander B Chapman Award recognizes achievements or contributions in any sport.

Honour roll

Sportswoman of the Year - Cleopatra Borel (track and field)

Sportsman of the Year - Machel Cedenio (track and field)

Junior Sportswoman of the Year - Khalifa St Fort (track and field)

Junior Sportsman of the Year - Jeron Thompson (swimming)

Sports Personality of the Year - Akeem Stewart (track and field)

People’s Choice Award - Renny Quow (track and field)

Alexander B Chapman Award - Janet Bailey (netball)

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