media_artricles :: 2016

Olympic athletes say thanks for support

SPRINTERS Michelle-Lee Ahye and Rondell Sorrillo were among the national athletes expressing their gratitude yesterday to the Trinidad and Tobago public for their support leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.

National athletes were on a Road to Rio Tour in Port of Spain yesterday, which took the athletes from the TT Olympic House on Abercromby Street to Independence Square and back.

Ahye said, "the support has been good. Even though TT does not know much about our track and field athletes, they came out and supported us as much as they could." Sorrillo was also grateful for the support. He said, "the support has been tremendous. We're a country when we do well we support but to see the support coming before the Olympics it actually means a lot more." Sorillo says his hometown of La Brea has been rallying behind him. "They always do (rally behind me). Seeing that I train down there and that is where I started. In the beginning nobody really appreciated track and field and now they are starting to appreciate it a lot more." Ahye and Sorillo will be hoping to maintain their form heading into Rio. At the National Championships last weekend Ahye won the women's 100 metre and 200m titles, while Sorrillo won the men's 200m and finished second in the 100m.

Asked whether she expected to win both sprint events at the National Championships Ahye said, "it was unexpected for the 200 because I was not really training for the 200. I was shocked I won with that time." Ahye won the 200m event in 22.33 seconds.

Ahye said she has been dreaming about winning a 100m medal at the Olympics since she was a little girl. "I have been dreaming about it. I don't know how I will react but it will be something very amazing for me and for the country." Sorrillo said he changed his training regime for the 100m.

"I think I did a lot of things differently.

My whole training programme was a little bit more endurance based rather than power based so I was able to be healthy and it showed. I have always been injured before the National Championships and run at the National Championships injured and this was pretty much one of the few times I have ever been healthy at the National Championships."

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