Olympic swimmer Cherelle Thompson on Thursday encouraged Trinidadian athletes to seize the moment, as she spoke candidly about her struggles with injury, adapting to college life and trying to stay positive during the Covid19 pandemic during her feature address at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Annual Awards.
Thompson, 30, represented Trinidad and Tobago in the women’s 50-metre freestyle event at the 2020 Olympics, which was held last year because of the pandemic. She is the national record holder in the women’s 50m freestyle for both the long course (50m) and short course (25m).
Reflecting on her challenges, Thompson, a former student of the University of Tennessee, said “We all know the pursuit did not come without threat to the life of my dream. It was many years before I could make it onto the Olympic stage and time would not permit me to share the details of the chapters from that defining moment to the point where I would make it to the blocks in Tokyo.
Faith also got her through dark times. “What I could say though is that it was a long, long road with many defining moments and it was only through reflection that these experiences, by the grace of God, I was able to find reasons to be grateful and wonder amidst the ashes of disappointment and difficulty.”
Thompson said her first "last straw” was a shoulder injury which a surgeon said was “one of the worst they had ever seen.”
On her experience studying in the USA while advancing her swimming career, Thompson said it was not a bed of roses. “I cried buckets of tears being homesick and (not) finding a way to adapt to the new demand of academics and athletics.”
The adversity did not end there for Thompson. “The second shoulder injury came sometime after, then major disappointment and retirement (temporarily), sitting out for some time after missing out on Rio (Olympics) 2016."
Covid19 had put the careers of athletes on pause and Thompson was no different.
“Let’s fast forward to March 2020 to that time in history. Imagine what it would have felt like when the announcement came for the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games. I was set to begin medical school later that year and the world was in a state uncertainty with a glimmer of hope that things would improve for the games to be held 12 months later (in July/August 2021).”
Thompson saw her dreams fading. “At this point I was convinced that I had no more straws. All I had was a dream in my heart and a passion for sport, and I placed that into God’s hands. The rest is history.”
Thompson made her Olympic debut competing in her strongest event – the 50m freestyle – placing 41st overall with a time of 26.19 seconds.
She urged all athletes to cherish every moment. “The question that none of us could answer is whether this would be our last competition, our last season, our last breath. All things considered, we know not what the future holds…take each opportunity to compete and engage in this thing called sport as a gift.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Thompson said, “No matter the stage of our journey, may we all transition into 2023 with our minds fixed and fortified, our bodies prepared to fight, and in our hearts a posture of gratitude and wonder to seize each moment as it were our last.”
Thompson also thanked retired two-time TT Olympic swimmer Sharntelle McLean for inspiring her.
Dylan Carter anticipates great 2023 after early 2024 Olympic qualification
Dylan Carter is anticipating a good year ahead as he can swim free knowing that he no longer has to worry about meeting the 2024 Olympic qualification standards.
On March 2, the 27-year-old Carter swam 48.28 to win the 100m freestyle race at the TYR Pro Series Meet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is below the Olympic qualifying standard of 48.34. In winning, he held off the challenge of Matthew Richards (48.48) and Hunter Armstrong (48.95).
The time was a new national record for the twin-island republic and made Carter the first male 100m freestyler in the world to qualify for the Olympics in the event.
“It’s all very exciting and I am very happy with that,” he told Sportsmax.TV.
Coming off the success at the World Short Course Championships in Australia in December 2022, where he won a bronze medal the 50m freestyle, Carter took some time to rest and prepare for Olympic qualification.
“Between World Short Course in December and now, I took a couple weeks’ break and went to Tobago for New Year’s and was coming back slowly in January, building up my fitness,” he said.
“I wasn’t really sure where I would be in March but I was focusing on my speed, strength and power through January and February.”
He believes the work he did building his strength helped him achieve the personal best time and a spot at the Olympic Games.
“I think that little extra bit of strength paid off. Also, racing the weekend before at the Jalisco Cup in Mexico was at 5500 feet altitude so competing all weekend racing very hard at altitude and then coming down the next week to race 100, I was really, really good at sea level. That might have played a part in it but I am really happy.
“It is a small personal best for me which at 27 years of age you can’t complain about that in March and it sets me up really well for the rest of the year and I don’t have to worry about qualification or time.”
Powell makes 104 to guide Leeward Islands Hurricanes to eight-wicket win over Barbados Pride inside three days
Kieran Powell made his ninth first-class hundred to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a seven-wicket win over the Barbados Pride on day three at the Queen’s Park Cricket Ground on Friday.
The day started with the Hurricanes 13-0 in pursuit of 247 for victory.
Initially, it looked like it would be an easy chase as Montcin Hodge and Kieran Powell put on 69 for the first wicket before Hodge went off the bowling of Camarie Boyce for 34 in the 11th over.
It was quickly 87-2 as Akeem Saunders fell to Chaim Holder for nine in the 14th over. Holder got his second wicket when he dismissed Devon Thomas for four in the 20th over to leave the Hurricanes 101-3.
101-3 became 103-4 as Hayden Walsh became Holder’s third victim before lunch for just two.
At the interval, the Leewards were 147-4 off 30 overs needing a further 100 runs for the win with Powell on 74 and Jahmar Hamilton on 15.
Their partnership reached 120 before Hamilton went for 55 with the score on 223 in the 43rd over.
With no more runs added, Powell was next to go for a well-made 104 off 109 balls leaving the Hurricanes 223-6 off 43.1 overs.
The Hurricanes then lost a third wicket with the score on 223 when Jeremiah Louis was dismissed by Jair McAllister for a duck.
They lost another when Kofi James went caught off the bowling of Dominic Drakes for 14 leaving the Hurricanes 243-8, needing just four runs to win.
Cornwall, one ball after being dropped at slip, hit the winning runs off Jair McAllister in the 50th over to finish 10 not out.
Chaim Holder finished with 3-38 off 10 overs while Jair McAllister and Camarie Boyce took two wickets apiece.
Scores: Barbados Pride 322 off 91.5 overs (Shane Dowrich 124*, Chaim Holder 43, Rakheem Cornwall 6-50, Sheeno Berridge 2-39) and 78 off 23.2 overs (Zachary McCaskie 29, Sheyne Moseley 27, Rakheem Cornwall 5-19, Devon Thomas 5-22)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes 154 off 42 overs (Jahmar Hamilton 30, Jeremiah Louis 24, Colin Archibald 24, Dominic Drakes 3-38, Chaim Holder 2-7, Jair McAllister 2-36, Shemar Springer 2-48) and 247-8 off 49.2 overs (Kieran Powell 104, Jahmar Hamilton 55, Montcin Hodge 34, Chaim Holder 3-38, Jair McAllister 2-47, Camarie Boyce 2-59).
Harpy Eagles hold advantage over Red Force after day two
The Guyana Harpy Eagles hold a 260-run lead over the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force after day two of their third-round fixture at the Brian Lara Stadium.
The Red Force started day two 7-0 replying to Guyana’s 324.
The Trinidadian opening pair of Jeremy Solozano and Keagan Simmons managed to put on 38 before Simmons went of the bowling of Keemo Paul for 15 in the 18th over.
Solozano and new batsman Darren Bravo brought the score past 50 in the 20th over before Solozano became Paul’s second victim, also going for 15.
Just eight runs later, Captain Bravo was the third man to fall for 15, going caught off the bowling of Ronsford Beaton in the 21st over.
Jason Mohammed (16) and Jyd Goolie (6) then came together and brought the Red Force to lunch on 81-3, trailing the Harpy Eagles by 243 runs.
After lunch, Mohammed and Goolie continued to toil against some good Harpy Eagles bowling before their resistance was broken in the 34th over when Paul dismissed Goolie for 22 with the score on 117.
It quickly became 118-5 as Tion Webster fell to Veerasammy Permaul a few overs later for a duck.
Amir Jangoo was next to the crease and he and Mohammed added 32 before he too went off the bowling of Permaul for 18 to leave the Red Force 150-6 in the 47th over.
Permaul was at it again when he dismissed Imran Khan for two with the score on 157 in the 49th over.
Ronsford Beaton took the final three wickets of the innings, dismissing Bryan Charles, Jason Mohammed for a well made 50, his 18th in first class cricket, and Justin Manick for a duck.
Just before the tea break, the Red Force were bowled out for 160 in 52 overs, trailing the Harpy Eagles by 164 runs.
Ronsford Beaton ended with 4-31 from his 13 overs while Keemo Paul and Veerasammy Permaul took 3-37 and 3-36, respectively.
Guyana lost Tevin Imlach very early in their second innings, going for just three in the fourth over off the bowling of Uthman Muhammad.
The score was 31-1 in the 12th over when the Harpy Eagles lost their second wicket, Kevlon Anderson caught off the bowling of Daren Bravo for 15.
Matthew Nandu and Kemol Savory then put on 49 for the third wicket before Nandu fell for 33 in the 27th over.
At stumps, the Harpy Eagles were 96-3, leading the Red Force by 260 runs with Savory (34) and captain Leon Johnson (9) at the crease.
Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 324 off 86.3 overs (Kevin Sinclair 69, Leon Johnson 62, Anthony Bramble 56, Keemo Paul 46, Imran Khan 4-80, Bryan Charles 3-85) and 96-3 off 34 overs (Kemol Savory 34*, Matthew Nandu 33)
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 160 off 52 overs (Jason Mohammed 50, Jyd Goolie 22, Ronsford Beaton 4-31, Veerasammy Permaul 3-36, Keemo Paul 3-37)
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