Trinidad and Tobago's track and field community mourns the untimely retirement of one of its brightest stars, Tyriq Horsford, at the age of 24, Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday has reported. In a heartfelt announcement on social media, Horsford cited persistent medical issues as the reason behind his decision to hang up his spikes.

Throughout his career, Horsford battled shoulder and elbow injuries, which ultimately prevented him from realizing his full potential on the track. Despite his immense talent and dedication, the relentless pain proved too much to overcome.

Horsford leaves behind a remarkable legacy, particularly in the realm of Carifta Games athletics. As a five-time gold medalist in the javelin event, he dominated the competition for years, capturing the hearts of fans across the region. His achievements at the Carifta Games, including multiple meet records, solidified his status as one of Trinidad and Tobago's greatest Carifta athletes of all time.

Coming from a family of athletes, with cousins excelling in long jump at both national and international levels, Horsford's athletic prowess was evident from a young age. His journey continued at Mississippi State University, where he aimed to further hone his skills and pursue his Olympic dreams.

In his retirement announcement, Horsford expressed gratitude to his coaches, mentors, and supporters who guided him along his journey. He encouraged aspiring athletes to cherish every moment in the sport and to relentlessly pursue their dreams.

Reflecting on Horsford's retirement, his longtime coach Wade Franklyn expressed sadness at seeing such a promising career cut short by injury. Franklyn had coached Horsford since he was just eight years old, recognizing his exceptional talent early on. Despite the setback, Franklyn remained hopeful that Horsford's legacy would inspire future generations of athletes.

Jamaica’s national 800m record holder, Navasky Anderson, can now also call himself a university graduate after graduating from the Mississippi State University with a Master's Degree on Friday.

Anderson, who became the first and only Jamaican man to go sub 1:45.00 when he ran 1:44.70 at the DC Track Championships in July, began his collegiate career at the Essex Community College in 2019 before transferring to Mississippi State in 2020.

“My time at Mississippi State University has been nothing short of transformative, thanks to the exceptional support from both the athletics and academia staff,” Anderson said in an Instagram post on Friday.

“Juggling the demands of coursework and the rigor of track and field requires a delicate balance, and it’s collaboration between the athletic and academic realms that allowed me to thrive,” he added.

During his time at MSU, Anderson claimed 800m silver at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships and represented Jamaica for the first time, with his best result being a bronze medal at this year’s Pan American Games in Chile in November.

The 23-year-old former St. Jago student also donned the Jamaican colors at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships in Eugene and Budapest, respectively, as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he placed fifth in the final.

“As I stand here today, wearing the cap and gown that symbolizes the culmination of years of hard work, I extend my deepest gratitude to Mississippi State University Athletics and the academic faculty. Their unwavering support and commitment to my holistic development have been the driving force behind this significant achievement,” Anderson said.

After running a personal best of 1:45.89 to claim the South Eastern Conference (SEC) title at the conference championships at the University of Missouri on Saturday, Mississippi State’s Navasky Anderson said he is just getting started on his way to becoming the best ever 800m runner from Jamaica.

The time, the 14^th fastest in the world this year is the fastest by a Jamaican and is just over half a second shy of Seymour Newman’s national record of 1:45.21 set back in 1977.

The former St Jago athlete held off Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M and Georgia’s Claymore Pender, who each ran personal best times of 1:46.09 and 1:46.71 for second and third, respectively in the race where the top-six all produced lifetime best performances.

However, for Anderson, a junior at Mississippi State, this is where his quest to go beyond Newman’s 45-year-old record begins.

“My job here is just now getting started,” he told Sportsmax.TV on Sunday.

“My goal is not only to be the best 800m that passes through Jamaica but also to bring the awareness and the spotlight to the younger generation letting them know that we can be dominant in the 800m as well.

“I will stay humble and work, my times will speak for themselves in due time.”

The 21-year-old Anderson has had to put in the work over the past few years to get to this point where he is within touching distance of the long-standing national record that only a few other Jamaicans like Clive Terrelonge (1:45.44), Mario Watson (1:45.58) and Alex Morgan (1:45.58) have got close to.

“To be great in the 800m there has to be a constant shift in mechanism, being able to run a fast 400m or 200m repeats today and being to hit a steady 10 miles the next morning,” said Anderson who stands at a wiry 1.93m (6’ 4”).

“Not everyone has the same body type or is built the way I am. I stay fit with morning runs and coordinate with my strength coach to get workouts that are going to help me move forward at least two to three times weekly.”

The journey to this point has been difficult but he has never given up hope nor lost sight of his goals as an athlete even when things were not going according to plan while he was at St Jago.

“I started high school running the 400m and the 1500m, taking on the 1500m at champs for my first two years. I made the finals both years but it was constant downhill after that,” he said, explaining that he believes “It was just not my time. I was training to the best of my ability but I wasn’t able to compete at a high level at Champs.”

Notwithstanding those early disappointments, Anderson never gave up and his fortunes began to change when he moved on to Essex County College in the United States.

“I stayed motivated and worked with Coach Andrew Kidd, who helped me develop a strong endurance background. I then went to Coach Lionel Leech at Essex County College. From 1:57-mid, coach got me down to 1:52-low is less than two years,” he said.

“I then made a great decision to attend Mississippi State, the right 800m university where Coach Chris Woods worked tirelessly to get my time down from 1:52 to 1:45 and still in progress in less than two years. That is spectacular.”

He said he has no plans to rest on his ‘spectacular’ progress with his goal now clearly in sight.

“I’ll keep working and I’ll keep working,” he concluded.

Anderson Peters, the 2019 World Championships javelin gold medalists believes it is well worth the risk travelling to Japan to compete at the Olympic Games this summer, despite the threat posed to his safety by the Covid-19 virus.

Anderson Peters, the 2019 World javelin champion, is thankful that the Olympics were postponed from 2020 because of the pandemic as it means he now has a legitimate shot at winning a medal, perhaps gold, when the Games convene in Tokyo, Japan this coming summer.