media_artricles :: 2016

PM: Send our T&T athletes positive vibes

WITH Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic hopefuls falling short of the coveted medals, attention now turns to those still in with a chance, and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is urging support for our men's 4x400 metres relay team due to compete on Friday.

Dr Rowley who is in the United States for a vacation and medical check-up, is due to return to the islands on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, he wrote "Sending best wishes to all our athletes at the Olympic Games in Rio. Our 4 x 400 relay team will be running soon and (Machel) Cedenio is in the men's 400 Meters final. Join me in sending them some positive Trinidad and Tobago vibes".

Cedenio, however, just missed out on a medal on Sunday when he finished fourth in the men's 400 metres final in a new national record of 44.01 seconds.

To date, Marisa Dick, Njisane Phillip, Christopher George, Nigel Paul, Dylan Carter, George Bovell, Andrew Lewis, Reyare Thomas, Jehue Gordon and Felice Aisha Chow failed to progress to the medal round of their respective disciplines, though Chow did make it to the quarter-final round of the women's single sculls rowing competition, before going on to finish fourth in the 'D' final.

Apart from Cedenio, T&T had two other finalists; shot putter Cleopatra Borel and sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye. Ahye took sixth spot in the women's 100 metres final on Saturday in a time of 10.92 while Borel had a best effort of 18.37 metres for seventh place in the women's shot put on Friday.

T&T's hope for a medal now rest upon the shoulders of the following athletes; Mickel Thomas, Sparkle McKnight, Janeil Bellille, Rondel Sorrillo, Kyle Greaux, Semoy Hackett, Ahye and defending Olympic men's javelin champion Keshorn Walcott, as well as the men and women's 4x100m relay teams and the men's 4x400m relay outfit.

Thomas will be running out of lane six in heat three of the men's 110 metres hurdles at 7.40 p.m. this evening (Mon) while McKnight and Bellille are also set to see action today in the women's 400 metres hurdles. McKnight will run out of lane two in heat two (8.38pm) and Bellille has drawn lane three in the fourth heat (8.54pm).

Sorrillo and Greaux will compete tomorrow in round one of the men's 200 metres, which is schedule to get underway at 11.14 a.m. And Keshorn Walcott will attempt to defend his title when the qualifying round of the men's javelin gets going on Wednesday.

Relay action starts on Thursday with both the men and women 4x100m squads set to face the starter, while the men's 4x400m take to the track on Friday as they go in search of another Olympic medal.

The men 4x100m squad will comprise of Richard Thompson, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Marcus Duncan, Sorrillo and Greaux, while the women will have Ahye, Hackett, Thomas, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Khalifa St Fort and Kai Selvon. Cedenio, Lalonde Gordon, Deon Lendore, Jarrin Solomon, Renny Quow and Jereem Richards will represent T&T in the men's 4x400m relay.

Meanwhile, Ahye and Hackett were automatic qualifiers for the semi-final round of the women's 200 metres. On Monday Ahye won heat three in a time of 22.50 while Hackett was second in heat nine in 22.78.

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