BERTRAND...I feel the responsibility to do well, so I use that as motivation.
For many athletes, the Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of their careers. Trinidad and Tobago’s rising sprint sensation, Leah Bertrand, is no different, but her approach is refreshingly composed.
Though it will be her first outing at the global multi-sport showpiece, Bertrand is managing the excitement and weight of expectations with remarkable calmness and confidence as she prepares to grace the track in the women’s 100m in Paris on Friday.
“Not really (feeling any pressure). I try not to let the pressure get to me. I just trust my training and the process and go out with the best mentality as possible. I feel like if I was supposed to focus on the pressure, I wouldn’t be able to go out and perform as well as I need to, but with that said, I feel the responsibility to do well, so I use that as motivation,” Bertrand told SportsMax.Tv.
With the pressure off, Bertrand, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on the day of the Games’ opening ceremony, pointed out that she is focused on possibly breaking the elusive 11-second barrier and potentially clinching a medal.
The Ohio State University senior, who won the women’s 100m at Trinidad and Tobago’s National Championships, has been flirting with the feat so far this season. She clocked a wind-aided 11.05s in June and, prior to that, stopped the clock at 11.09s in May, just outside her personal best of 11.08s.
“I feel good, so I believe I can break the 11-second barrier. I think it is time. I have been on the verge of it at 11.0 for a while now, so I want to get it done now,” she declared.
“I think I had a good season this year. I am healthy, thank God, so going into these Olympic Games, I feel very confident. The mentality is to compete, and once I do that, I feel like I can get through the rounds, get to the finals, medal, and represent Trinidad and Tobago well,” Bertrand added.
While she knows that the competition will be fierce, with the world's fastest women vying for glory, Bertrand, a two-time NACAC Under-23 medallist remains undaunted.
“Every time I run, the aim is to do better than the last time to get a PB, but I am not stressing on the time. I am going in to compete, and the time will come as long as I am running up with everybody else. I will be good,” she noted.
“I think it (getting the personal best and medal) is a mental thing; physically, I am ready, so I just have to believe I can do it. I think that is the only thing blocking me now. This is the Olympics, so the standard is high, but, with that being said, I can’t let the pressure get to me. If it was any other meet, at the end of the day, even though it’s a high level, I can’t put it higher than it needs to be because then the pressure would get to me,” Bertrand explained.
By all indications, Bertrand's preparation for the Olympics has been nothing short of rigorous. Like the plethora of stars that will be on show in Paris, she has been fine-tuning her technique, working on her explosive starts, and building the mental toughness required to compete at the highest level.
Leah Bertrand (second left) with teammates during the World Relays in the Bahamas.
“In practice, I tend to be more serious and focused on how I can improve because practice is the one time I really need to focus on what I need to do. Now my practice is more quality than quantity, so I am really focused on what I have to do,” she shared.
Much of Bertrand's drive comes from the support of her family and, by extension, the entire nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
No doubt the Twin Island Republic, a small nation with a proud sporting history, will be watching closely as Bertrand and her 16 other compatriots parade their athletic prowess across various disciplines, pushing for performances that will be a source of immense pride and inspiration.
“It has been great and overwhelming, actually, because everybody has been wishing me good luck and on my side, so I know I have the support I need to go and do well. I want the public to hold us accountable as we continue working towards being the best representation for our country,” Bertrand ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Murray and Evans produce another great escape to advance to Olympic quarter-finals
Andy Murray delayed his retirement once more after he and Dan Evans edged another thrilling encounter against Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen at the Paris Olympics.
The British duo saved match points again to emerge victorious in a gripping tie-break, prevailing 6-3 6-7 (10-8) 11-9 at Roland-Garros.
Murray and Evans flew out the blocks in the opening exchanges, racing into a three-game lead early on before seeing out the first set in comfortable fashion.
But their Belgian opponents fought back strongly in the second set and looked in a strong position to level the match, only for Evans' individual close-net brilliance to level the set.
For the second match in a row, Murray’s career hinged on a first-to-10-point match tie-break, with the British duo showing their powers of recovery once more after saving two match points.
After missing two match points in the second-set tie-break, the Team GB duo would make no mistake this time around as Evans completed another miracle escape with a volley at the net that left Murray in tears shortly after.
They will take on either American third seeds Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz or Dutch duo Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer in the next round.
Data Debrief: Murray's farewell tour continues
In yet another enthralling match involving Murray and Evans, the pairs resilience once again shone through at Roland-Garros to keep the Scot's hopes of a third gold medal alive.
The pair saved all three of the break points they faced, but were also equally impressive on serve as they won 57 of their 79 first serve points.
Kerber equals Olympic record as last dance continues in Paris
Angelique Kerber equalled an Olympic record as she reached the quarter-finals in Paris.
Kerber, who is retiring after the Games, overcame Leylah Fernandez to book her place in the last eight at Roland-Garros.
The former world number one prevailed 6-4 6-3 over Fernandez, who reached the US Open final in 2021.
In the process, Kerber joined Arantxa Sanchez Vicario as the woman with the most quarter-finals appearances (three) in the Olympics singles since tennis returned to the Games in 1988.
Kerber took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Gauff spats with umpire as Olympics singles hopes end in tears
Coco Gauff's Olympic singles campaign ended in tears as the teenager lost in straight sets to Donna Vekic.
Gauff, the world number two, was one of the favourites to claim singles gold in Paris, but will instead have to try her luck in the doubles after crashing out in the third round.
The American lost 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 on Tuesday in a contest in which she clashed with chair umpire Jaume Campistol towards the end of the match.
A Vekic return had been called out by a line judge, with Gauff having not kept the ball in play, but Campistol believed the shot had landed in and handed the Croatian the point and a 4-2 lead.
Play was subsequently delayed as an emotional Gauff approached the umpire, saying: "I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball.
"It's not even a perception; it's the rules. I always have to advocate for myself.
"It always happens here at [Roland-Garros] to me. Every time. This is like the fourth, fifth time it's happened this year."
Gauff felt she was on the harsh end of a decision in the semi-finals of the French Open earlier this year, in a defeat to Iga Swiatek.
Data Debrief: Vekic a worthy winner
Despite Gauff's complaints, she was not at her best, and Vekic deserved the victory.
Vekic struck 28 winners in total to Gauff's nine, as she claimed the first top-10 scalp of her career on clay.
It is the second time in the space of two Olympic Games that Vekic has ousted a top-three player, having defeated Aryna Sabalenka in Tokyo.
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