media_artricles :: 2017

Lee Ahye considers running elsewhere

T&T sprinter takes to social media to address lack of recognition

A Facebook post by female national sprint champion Michelle Lee Ahye yesterday is gathering widespread attention.

In the post, Lee Ahye expressed her feelings towards the fact that the women's national has not been given just recognition for its achievements in international competitions. Lee Ahye stated, "Back in 2015 the women 4x100m got bronze with a national record, mind you that was the first (T&T) women team to get a medal and up to this day we are still waiting to get recognized for that medal but they always recognize when the guys get a medal. I'm so over it I'm really thinking hard about running for another country."

Lee Ahye's statements drew several comments from persons who expressed both concern and sympathy with the athlete.

In one exchange, fellow T&T athlete Cleopatra Borel advised her team-mate that switching allegiance was not an option. "You can't do that any more, so we have to fix our problems here."

Another T&T athlete, Jarrin Solomon who was a part of the men's 4x400m team which won bronze at last month's World Championships in London, also got in on the discussion, saying,"We didn't recognized for our 4x400 world silver in Beijing either so it's not just a female thing, nor did we get recognised from either of our world indoor medals from 2012 or 2016 so it's not isolated to the females."

Solomon added: "I understand what you are saying and how you wanted them to recognize you all when you got bronze in 2015, but what I'm saying is it is the timing of when you say this. You didn't say this in 2015 so now they are just going to think you are trying to take the shine from the 4x400, which I know isn't your intention."

Lee Ahye a finalist in the women's 100m at the 2017 World Championships in London, placed third in her most recent outing which was at the IAAF World Challenge meet in Zagreb, Croatia on Tuesday.

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