Back in Play

By Sheldon Waithe

The Commonwealth Games

Foremost among the achievements for 2022 was T&T’s performance at the Commonwealth Games. Six medals, including three golds, represented a welcome addition to the nation’s proud legacy at these Games. Runner Jereem Richards defended his 200M title, then teamed up with Dwight St Hilaire, Asa Guevara and Machel Cedenio for the 4x400M Relay, in a magnificent and dominant display to take gold and emulate the legendary 1966 T&T Relay squad. The young 4x100M Relay team also brought home precious metal, their silver a positive sign for the near future and representative of T&T’s strength in depth. At the velodrome, a tireless Nicholas Paul earned a medal of each colour; winning gold with a sprint in the Keirin that left daylight between him and his opposition, silver in the Match Sprint and bronze in the Kilometre Time Trial.

Both individual gold medallists enjoyed other successes, Richards started the ball rolling with his victory in the 400M at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, while Paul also provided consistency with three golds at the Pan American Cycling Championship, before a training crash brought an abrupt end to his season.

FINA Swimming World Cup & Caribbean Games

The water could not cool down a red-hot Dylan Carter in October and November. He won an amazing nine gold medals at the FINA Swimming World Cup, taking the 50M Freestyle, 50M Backstroke and 50M Butterfly, while breaking national records in all three events. His victories earned him the coveted prize of top men’s swimmer at the World Cup.

The first Caribbean Games were held in Guadeloupe; open to Under-23 athletes, T&T finished third on the medal table with a tally that included five golds, seven silvers and five bronze. The gold medallists were Nikolai Blackman and Ornella Walker in swimming, runners Kion Benjamin, Akilah Lewis and the women’s 4x100 Relay squad.

CPL -Cricket

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2022, breaking new ground with the inaugural Massy Women’s CPL, won by Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).

The TKR men’s team disappointed however, with an uncharacteristic display that saw them concede six losses and flounder at the bottom of the standings. In the West Indies Four-Day Tournament, T&T finished 4th with two wins, two losses and a draw. Earlier in the year Trinidad successfully hosted matches in the Under-19 Cricket World the ICWI Champions League, while individual honours went to Aleena Edwards and Shemar Britton in the Silver Bowl Championships. ‘The Summer of Tennis’ saw ten lawn tennis events, culminating in the hosting of Davis Cup matches with nine nations competing at the National Racquet Centre. T&T did not fare too well but hosting the global competition is a boon for the sport locally.

CONCACAF Football

From

Cup across four venues, within the pandemic protocols. As the T&T women cricketers took a 4-0 clean sweep on a tour to Barbados, it coincided with the news that T&T cricket is spearheading the formation of a West Indian women’s Test team.

Dragon Boat Races

After an absence of two years, the Chinese Arrival Dragon Boat Festival returned, with Tobago’s Oceanus defeating favourites Aquaholics in the Premier 200M and 500M races. Remaining in the water, choppy conditions made the annual Great Race from Trinidad to Tobago a tricky endeavour, with few powerboats finishing. Motul Monster traversed the elements best, winning its 6th title in the arduous test of man and machine.

Rainbow Cup Triathlon

The welcome return of triathlon’s Rainbow Cup to Tobago’s shores saw a familiar name – Jenna Ross - take the honours in the women’s category, with a new one, John Littlepage, taking the men’s title. The T&T Marathon was also welcomed back and saw Kelvin Johnson of Guyana avenge his third place in 2016 with victory in 2022, while Shardie Mahabir topped the women’s field. Interestingly, the competitors included Polish global runner Ryschard Ellert for whom the T&T race represented his 130th marathon in his 99th country.

Lawn & Table Tennis

Table tennis is enjoying a boom in popularity, with an increasing number of players taking part in several competitions. Arima Table Tennis Club led the way, winning https://www.insandoutstt.com/

While football’s governance continued its restructure, on the field, the national teams returned to competition. At the CONCACAF Under-20 Championships, the team advanced to the Round of 16 before being eliminated by Costa Rica. The senior men’s team won four matches in the Nations League, but lost friendlies against Tajikistan and Thailand, away from home. Three wins, three loses and a draw were the results for the women’s senior team, in the season-long CONCACAF qualifying matches.

The anticipation continues into 2023 with the CAC Games and Pan Am Games offering further opportunities for success, while the excitement builds towards T&T hosting the Commonwealth Youth Games in August, a major fillip for sports tourism.