Golden dreams

THE BEST was saved for last. After a rocky start last week, TT’s medal prospects at the Paris Olympics this week dramatically picked up steam.

Jereem “The Dream” Richards did his country proud on August 7 at the Stade de France in the men’s 400m finals.

Running in the unenviable position of lane 9, he was brought out last onto the track but ran a race that proved him to be anything but the least.

Setting a new national record of 43.78s, he narrowly missed out on a place on the podium, placing fourth just ahead of Grenadian Kirani James, 31, the 2012 gold medallist.

But Mr Richards, 30, who is one of our most decorated sprinters and who switched from the 200m to contest this event, reminded us of the poise and mettle we are capable of on the world stage.

The pride he showed before the race by pointing to the name of his country on his chest and through his heart gesture to the cameras are reflections of our own feelings towards him for his effort. We congratulate him.

We also congratulate Keshorn Walcott, 31, and Nicolas Paul, 25, for qualifying for the finals of the men’s javelin throw and the men’s cycling sprint 1/16, as well as all who have represented us thus far.

Mr Walcott will today seek to repeat history, having won gold in this event in 2012 and bronze in 2016. He narrowly qualified and will be looking to best a field that includes the defending Olympic and world champion, Indian Neeraj Chopra, as well as a former world champion, Grenadian Anderson Peters.

All of it is an about-face for a medal campaign that was rocked by the exits of TT’s flag bearers, the highly favoured swimmer Dylan Carter, 28, and four-time Olympian sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye, 32.

Mr Carter, swimming in a Paris pool that is unusually shallow, failed to make a splash, while Ms Ahye did not get past first-round heats. Both reminded us of the Games’ unpredictability. Hopeful signs of a new generation came with debutantes, Leah Betrand, 22, a 100m semifinalist, and Zuri Ferguson, 17, a 100m backstroke swimmer who placed third in her heat but missed out on the semis. It is an achievement to qualify to compete among the best.

It has been an Olympics of Caribbean excellence.

St Lucian Julien Alfred, 23, and Dominican Thea Lafond, 30, won their country’s first medals, gold in the women’s 100m and triple jump respectively. Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell, 28, became the first person from his country to take bronze.

In one of the closest men’s 100m finals ever, Jamaican Kishane Thompson, 23, was pipped into silver-medal position in a photo finish. We could go on.

It is tantalising to wonder if this country might soon increase its historic medal tally of 19. Can we bring home a fourth gold?

It will be a race to the finish.

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