In the 85 years since Mannie Dookie represented Trinidad-Tobago at the 1934 Empire (now Commonwealth) Games, our athletes have competed and won over 65 medals at these Games, the Olympics, the World Championships (outdoors and indoors) and the Pan American Games.

Gold medals were won by nine athletes individually and by four men`s relay teams: 4x100m at 2008 Olympics, 4x440y at 1966 Commonwealth Games, and 4x400m at 2015 Pan American Games and 2017 World Championships.

Ato Boldon (200m at 1997 World Championships and 100m at 1998 Commonwealth Games) and Keshorn Walcott (javelin at 2012 Olympics and 2014 CG) are to date the only athletes with two individual golds.

The seven other gold medallists are Hasely Crawford (100m at 1976 Olympics), Jehue Gordon (400m hurdles at 2013 World Championships), Cleopatra Borel (shot put at 2015 Pan American Games) and CG champions Mike Agostini (100y 1954), Wendell Mottley (440y 1966), Michelle-Lee Ahye (100m 2018) and Jereem Richards (200m 2018).

Borel, with six medals between 2006 and 2015, is our leading female athlete at the global and hemispheric events under consideration.

Among the men six athletes, all sprinters, have won six or more medals: Edwin Roberts and Boldon with nine each, Marc Burns with eight, Agostini and Lalonde Gordon with seven each, and Jarrin Solomon with six.

Interestingly, Solomon won all six medals in relay races, Burns seven medals in relay races (his eighth the 100m bronze at 2006 CG), and Lalonde Gordon five relay medals (plus 400m bronze at 2012 Olympics and 2014 CG).

For various reasons the list of female athletes is not as impressive. Behind Borel and her six medals there are just three ladies with two medals each: horizontal jumper Ayanna Alexander and sprinters Kelly Anne Baptiste and Michelle-Lee Ahye.

Hopefully, in the coming years this gender gap will be closed.

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