Jamaica's legendary swimmer, Alia Atkinson, made a splash at the Aquatic Centre in Kingston on Saturday as she launched her first book, "Day 1 Not One Day: An Athlete's Seven-Step Guide to Success." The five-time Olympian and world record holder, whose illustrious career spanned an impressive 19 years, revealed the inspiration behind her book.

 "The idea for this book came about after I retired. I received a lot of messages on social media from people asking for guidance and advice on how to achieve their goals and maintain a winning mindset. It wasn't just young athletes; it was people from all walks of life, including seasoned athletes," Atkinson explained.

 The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on people's confidence, creating doubts and uncertainties and Atkinson saw this as an opportunity to help and inspire others. "I wanted to answer their questions and offer some guidance. Even if the book could help just one person improve their life or find their inner strength, I considered it a success," she said.

"I wanted to provide answers and support to those who reached out to me. If I could offer something that could make a positive difference, even if it's just one takeaway."

Atkinson's book, "Day 1 Not One Day," outlines seven key principles that she believes can transform lives, both in and out of the pool. Although it primarily caters to swimmers due to her swimming background, she emphasizes that the athletic mindset can be applied to anyone's life.

"I made sure a wide range of people read the book, not just athletes. It resonated with sports enthusiasts and individuals outside the sporting realm as well. Everyone found something valuable and applicable to their own lives. While the book draws heavily on my swimming background, the athletic mindset can benefit anyone."

 During the book writing process, Atkinson found it surprisingly smooth. "The hardest part was anything related to formatting and figuring out the technical aspects. But when it came to the content itself, it felt like I was talking to the athletes and readers. Each chapter was like having a personal conversation with someone, guiding them towards their goals," Atkinson shared.

 "Day 1 Not One Day" holds a special place in Atkinson's heart, as she poured her experiences and insights into its pages. The Jamaican darling has left an indelible mark on the sport, becoming the first black woman to win a world title in swimming in 2014. Her world record time in the short course 100-metre breaststroke showcased her prowess in the pool.

As Alia Atkinson embarks on her new journey as an author, she hopes that her book will serve as a guiding light for athletes and non-athletes alike, helping them achieve their dreams and become the best version of themselves. The aquatic icon's legacy continues to inspire generations, both in Jamaica and across the globe, leaving a lasting impact on the world of sports and beyond.

Team GB’s first male artistic swimmer is thoroughly satisfied to have earned the respect of friends who once asked why he did not just play football like everyone else.

Ranjuo Tomblin is one of 12 British artistic swimmers hoping to top the podium at the European Games this week in Krakow, but the 17-year-old knows he will be making history no matter what the result.

When he and Beatrice Crass slip into the pool for Thursday’s mixed duet technical event, Tomblin will also be making his milestone senior debut with Team GB.

“Definitely my friends at the start were like, ‘Oh, why are you doing that? Why aren’t you doing football, you know, the generic sports?'” he said.

“But as I’ve grown and developed and I’ve got a few medals in the bank, they definitely more respect what I do, now they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s a really cool thing you do’.”

Tomblin’s ambitions to erase stigma and stereotype around his chosen sport, once known as synchronised swimming, extend well beyond his circle of friends.

Artistic swimming is, like a duck gliding smoothly across a lake, an illusion of effortlessness when in reality it is anything but. Asked about the biggest misconception people hold, Tomblin’s answer comes immediately.

“That it is easy,” he said. “It’s not easy. A lot of people just think it’s having a play about in the water. It’s really not.”

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Training comprises working on everything from strength and conditioning to flexibility, knee extensions, toe points, breath-holding, swimming, stamina and timing.

Consider the feeling of, as American synchro coach Joyce Lindeman once put it, “running a marathon while holding your breath”.

Also it is set to music, and you are judged on how good you look doing it.

Tomblin spent nearly a decade in gymnastics and it was only by fluke that the woman coaching his “normal” swimming lessons at Atlantis Flamingos also happened to be the synchro coach.

Hearing about his gymnastics background, she asked if he wanted to give artistic swimming a go.

“I immediately loved it. It’s really grown from there,” said Tomblin, though he admits there was an adjustment period, adding: “It definitely did feel a bit weird, especially with the first team I joined.

“There were no boys, it was full of girls and it was a bit awkward and it was hard to make friends, but I feel like after I joined the national squad everyone’s really lovely. We’re all good friends.”

A landmark December 2022 World Aquatics decision paved the way for male artistic swimmers to compete at next summer’s Paris Olympics, which will now allow up to two men in the eight-athlete team event.

Tomblin won silver at the inaugural male free solo event at the 2022 LEN European Junior Championships as well as bronze alongside Cass and, while he is certainly open to the possibility of the team event, mixed duet – appearing for the first time at a European Games – is Tomblin’s speciality.

Mixed duet is not on the programme for Paris, but December’s announcement allowed Tomblin to be cautiously optimistic that his event could feature at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“When I first heard that, I felt really excited and hopeful,” he said. “Because now they’re like, ‘Oh there’s loads of boys so let’s let them in the Olympics’… then hopefully that will lead towards the mixed duet going into the Olympic Games.”

While records will fall and champions change, there can only ever be one person who does something first, and Tomblin is delighted by the role he could play in ensuring he will not be the last.

“It would mean so much to me,” he added. “I’m working so hard because I’ve seen males older than me, like (Team USA’s) Bill May. I look up to him and he inspires me so much. I’d like to inspire someone – that would feel really nice for me.”

Adam Peaty insisted adding more gold medals to his already bulging collection would not be the cure-all to his struggles.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist withdrew from the British Swimming Championships last month after citing mental health issues and later admitted he had been on a “self-destructive spiral”.

Peaty has spoken previously about periods of depression and problems with alcohol, which he admits worsened last year as he struggled with injury, motivation and the breakdown of his relationship with the mother of his young son.

He remains hopeful of heading to the Paris Olympics next year as he looks for a third straight title in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke but was adamant that doing so would not be a silver bullet for him.

“A good friend of mine said a gold medal is the coldest thing you will ever wear,” Peaty told BBC Breakfast.

“It’s the coldest thing because you think it will fix all of your problems. It will not.

“I took a break because I was on this endless search of a gold medal or a world record and I looked into the future and I said ‘OK, if I do get that is my life fixed or any better?’ No.

“So take the time now to really think about who you are, what you want out of life and then get the gold medal.

“Hopefully when I get to the Olympics I will be in a very good mindset, very grateful and most importantly happy.”

Robyn Chin Sang, the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) vice-president with responsibility for artistic swimming, believes the performance of the country's young stars at the recently-concluded Worldwide Invitational Meet augurs well for the continued growth and development of the sport locally.

Chin Sang's pride was very evident, as she reflected on the manner in which a 18-member team from the Island Aquatics Synchro club, displayed their prowess among more illustrious competitors from various countries, in Coral Springs, Florida.

The athletes accompanied by two coaches and one official, secured 25 medals ---15 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze ---bettering the 10 won by an eight-member team last year.

"The competition was much harder this year, as we had more competitors from different clubs and countries and more advance swimmers. So, it wasn't easy, but our girls did very well in putting the winnings in the bag and embodied the through Jamaican spirit of little but tallawah," Chin Sang said.

She pointed out that attending events like these are vital to the sport's continued development as they introduce younger athletes, in particular, to different levels of competition. However, the fact that the team had to conduct fundraisers to pay their way didn't escape her and she is now optimistic that their performances will assist in getting corporate Jamaica on board with the sport.

Artistic swimming, previously known as synchronised swimming, requires athletes to perform coordinated or identical movements in time to music, with performances lasting several minutes.

"These competitions give the girls the experience and drive to continue in the sport and encourage them to keep working hard to get to the new level that they witnessed on international stage like these. 

"So, we are very proud of the way they held their own and ensured the country's flag kept flying high. All 18 athletes returned with at least one medal, all our girls placed in their routines and eight of them placed in figures. In addition to that, they had four awards for placing in top 12 in figures, as well as three best figures titles in three different age categories," Chin Sang shared.

"The success of the team will have a greater impact not only on the athletes but also on the wider Jamaican community. We will have more swimmers being interested in the sport and hopefully more sponsorship will come on board from the corporate companies to help the growth of the sport and its athletes," she added.

On that note, Chin Sang lauded the unwavering efforts of Coach Olga Novokshchenova and her Island Aquatics family for their dedication to assisting the athletes by providing the training and opening up the possibility to take part in global artistic swimming competitions.

"We will continue to train for our next local competition, to take place on a date to be confirmed and then we will go from there. But the aim is always to give off our best for the athletes," she ended.

Bahamian swimming star Joanna Evans intends to appeal before the Court of Arbitration, a decision by the FINA Doping Panel to ban her from the sport for two years after she tested positive for Clostebol. The decision was handed down on February 15, 2023.

She will do so, she said, with the support of the Bahamas Aquatic Federation, her family, coaches, friends and community.

Clostebol is a synthetic anabolic–androgenic steroid and is the 4-chloro derivative of the natural hormone testosterone. The chlorination prevents conversion to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) while also rendering the chemical incapable of conversion to estrogen.

A multiple CAC Games gold medalist and two-time Olympian, the 25-year-old Evans claims in a recent lengthy and emotional post on Instagram that she would never knowingly use a banned substance, adding that the situation has put her in a constant state of distress.

“Anyone who knows me, knows without hesitation that I would never, ever intentionally take a banned substance,” she said.

“The results show an unfathomable low amount of the substance which absolutely could not have enhanced my performance.”

Evans said she was tested in Austin, Texas on December 3, 2021 and was “stunned” when she was informed over the phone that her sample contained a banned substance.

She explained how she believes she came to test positive saying that while attending a meet in Naples, Italy on September 11, 2021, she cut her finger on a “jagged, rusty balcony” at the hotel where she was staying.

“Concerned about infection, I walked to a nearby pharmacy and asked for an antibiotic cream,” she said.

“I was given a tube of Trofodermin, which I believed was similar to the antibiotic Neomycin. Unknown to me at the time, an ingredient of Trofodermin is the banned substance Clostebol.”

She used the cream for three days.

On her return to Austin on October 30, 2021, she slipped on a concrete pavement and sustained a substantial gash on her knee. She used the same cream she bought in Italy. She said she used the cream for five days and then once or twice a week until the end of November that year.

A distraught Evans stated that life has been difficult since she received news of her positive test.

“Since my test result, I have been unable to function. I am broken and devastated as swimming has been my life for many years,” she said while reiterating that she is not a drug cheat.

“I would never cheat and I take pride in representing my country, college, family, friends and community to the best of my ability.

“I have a history of dozens of clean tests and conduct myself with integrity in all aspects of my life. I find it incredulous that a miniscule amount of a banned substance applied unknowingly through a topical cream can have such life-altering consequences.”

As such, Evans has hired a “specialist attorney” in this field to represent me in legal proceedings to defend my integrity and the reputation of Bahamas swimming.

Defending champions, the Bahamas hauled in a total of 20 medals that includes eight golds, five silvers and seven bronze medals. medals on night one of the 2023 CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Curacao on Thursday.

Nigel Forbes swam to a new record 54.75 in the 15-17 Boys 100m Butterfly, breaking the previous record 54.85.

The Bahamas also finished top of the podium in the 11-12 Boys and Girls 200m Breaststroke races.

Jaylah Threadgill produced a personal best of 3:03.68 to win the girls category while Trace Russell swam 2:50.46 for gold in the boys division.

Emmanuel Gadson won the 15-17 boys 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:22.85. David Singh took gold in the 50m backstroke with a time of 31.15 seconds. Saleste Gibson secured the gold in the 11-12 girls 100m Butterfly when she stopped the clock on 1:09.11.

The Bahamians also took gold in the boys and girls 11-12 4x400m Freestyle relays.

Bahamas leads the overall points standings after day one with 262 ahead of the Cayman Islands (175), Barbados (135), Trinidad and Tobago (120) and Martinique (105.5).

Olympics chief Thomas Bach has attacked politicians pushing for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be prevented from returning to international sport, saying their attitude is "deplorable".

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Bach launched a tirade on Thursday at the "negative reactions" to plans to allow competitors from Russia and Belarus to compete in global sporting events as neutral individual athletes.

There has been no final decision taken yet on whether those athletes can take part in next year's Olympics; however, there will be potential pathways for them to qualify for the Games, and it could yet mean there are Russians and Belarusians taking part in the Paris Games while war continues in Ukraine.

Government figures in the UK, Germany and beyond have expressed opposition to such athletes being allowed to take part, although IOC guidance on Tuesday potentially opened that door.

For those politicians there was a fierce rebuke from Bach.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Bach said: "Today the IOC executive board discussed the reactions to our recommendations issued on Tuesday.

"There we have taken note of some negative reactions by some European governments in particular. I can only reaffirm there what the Olympic movement and all the stakeholders have made very clear before: that it is deplorable to see some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic movement and of all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport which they are praising and requesting from other countries in countless speeches, UN resolutions, EU declarations, and at every other opportunity.

"It is deplorable that these governments do not address the question of double standards with which we have been confronted in our consultations.

"We have not seen a single comment from them about their attitude towards the participation of athletes whose countries are involved in the other 70 wars and armed conflicts in the world.

"It is even more deplorable that they grossly neglect the very clear statement of the two special rapporteurs from the UN human rights council. While in other issues they are always highlighting their firm request for the respect of human rights

"Discussions and reactions from the Olympic movement are making it very clear, that these government interventions have strengthened the unity of the Olympic movement.

"All stakeholders make it very clear again: it cannot be up to the governments to decide which athletes can participate in which competition. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today.

"The Olympic movement stakeholders are very concerned about this politicisation of sport. They are very concerned about the attitude of these governments wanting to take over the participation and the decision of participation in sport events in their country or even in other countries."

Bach pointed to a letter from the presidents of the five regional groupings on national Olympic committees, representing all 206 NOCs, in which he said it was stated that "international sports competitions welcome athletes from all countries".

Asked why it was only athletes from Russia and Belarus that were being asked to compete as neutrals, rather than those from other conflicts and wars to which he referred, Bach said that was "because this was a blatant violation of the Olympic truce and happened between the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Games".

That was a reference to the timing of the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

With regard to Germany and the UK, Bach said: "Both NOCs have made it very clear they do not boycott, and we will not punish athletes or an NOC for the position of their governments.

"We will always make every effort not to punish athletes for misbehaviour of their national governments."

Bach, who is German, said "a vast, vast majority of all stakeholders of the Olympic movement" supported the IOC putting in place conditions for the possible return to international competition of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports.

He added: "I can only reaffirm the entire Olympic movement strongly stands by its values and by its mission to unite the world in a peaceful competition."

Thomas Bach denied the International Olympic Committee is biding its time over deciding whether Russia and Belarus athletes can compete at Paris 2024 amounted to "kicking it down the road".

IOC president Bach spoke on Tuesday at a press conference after interim recommendations were issued to international federations and organisers of events regarding the involvement of Russians and Belarusians in events while war in Ukraine continues.

The Olympic body urged federations to exclude any athletes or support personnel "who actively support the war", along with anybody "contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies", and said teams from either country should not be allowed to compete in international sport for now.

However, in a statement, the IOC said: "Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports."

There is a clear possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals at the Paris Olympics next year, although Bach stressed there has been no decision taken on that matter, explaining it has yet to be discussed by the IOC executive board.

Bach said the IOC was going along with a United Nations position, and when asked whether Olympic chiefs were simply waiting for the war to end, and holding fire on direct action until then, he refuted the contention.

"We are not kicking it down the road, and we are not waiting," Bach said. "I guess we all would like the war to end now, and this is what we are calling for, but as you can see for all the reasons we are giving the conditions are not related to the development of the war, they are related to the respect of the Olympic charter and the Olympic values, and there we have to address these questions whether somebody is actively supporting the war in whichever way."

Bach said a decision regarding next year's Olympics would be made "at the appropriate time", without indicating when that might be, saying it was important to monitor the latest recommendations "for as long as possible" before taking "an informed decision".

He said there was no timeline because "nobody knows what's happening tomorrow or in one week or in nine months, so we have just to monitor and then find the appropriate time".

Bach knows there is unease in some quarters about the IOC not taking a firm decision.

When asked about Russia being happy its athletes were being able to compete, and Ukraine being unhappy with the situation, Bach said: "We have been accused by the Russian side of being agents of the United States, and we have been accused by Ukrainian side of being promoters of the war, so we appear to be somewhere in the middle."

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.”

Hosts France are among 34 countries to have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are also among those to have called for a ban to be imposed.

A joint-statement released on Monday detailed reasoning based around "Russia's unprovoked and unjustifiable war of choice [against Ukraine], facilitated by the Belarusian government."

Russia's sports minister, Oleg Matytsin, said earlier this month that it was "absolutely unacceptable" for governments to attempt to influence the IOC.

The IOC confirmed last month it intended to uphold sanctions against Russian and Belarusian state and government officials ahead of next year's Games in the French capital, but added it would explore opportunities for athletes from both nations to compete under a neutral flag.

Monday's statement from the 34 countries addressed that plan, welcoming "the IOC’s reaffirmation and reinforcement of their existing sanctions in place" while suggesting their neutrality comments raised "many questions and concerns".

"While recognising the autonomy of sports bodies, given the invasion of Ukraine and its devastation is ongoing, we agreed that the IOC's proposal on exploring a pathway back to competition for individual Russian and Belarusian athletes raises many questions and concerns," the statement read.

The signatories also referenced a lack of "clarity" around the neutrality model as a key reason why athletes from the two countries should not be present in Paris.

"We have strong concerns on how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as 'neutrals' – under the IOC's conditions of no identification with their country – when they are directly funded and supported by their states," the statement continued.

"The strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also of clear concern. Our collective approach throughout has therefore never been one of discrimination simply on the basis of nationality, but these strong concerns need to be dealt with by the IOC.

"As long as these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable 'neutrality' model are not addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition."

The statement finished by outlining the position would be altered should the war in Ukraine be ended, saying: "We also note that Russia and Belarus have it in their own hands to pave the way for their athletes' full return to the international sports community, namely by ending the war they started."

Russia's sports minister has attacked politicians' demands to block athletes from the country competing at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

Oleg Matytsin said it was "absolutely unacceptable" for governments to attempt to influence the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

His reaction on Saturday followed Lithuanian sports minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene announcing there was a "unanimous" view from a group of around 35 countries that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be banned from the Paris 2024 Games.

The stance comes amid the invasion of Ukraine, with ministers from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Australia, reportedly opposing Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to take part, even under a neutral flag.

A virtual meeting of sports ministers, also attended by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was held on Friday.

Zelenskyy said the presence of competitors from Russia "cannot be covered up with some pretended neutrality or a white flag", saying their presence would be a "manifestation of violence and lawlessness".

Matytsin told reporters, according to Russian news agency TASS, that other nations had no right to put pressure on Olympic chiefs.

He said: "This is a direct intervention of ministers in the activities of independent international sports organisations, an attempt to dictate the conditions for the participation of athletes in international competitions, which is absolutely unacceptable.

"Moreover, more than a month ago, the national Olympic committees of these countries supported the decision of the IOC on the participation of our athletes in competitions.

"These countries are putting pressure on the activities of independent public organisations, which they tried to accuse us of. Now we see an undisguised desire to destroy the unity of international sports and the international Olympic movement, to make sport a means of pressure in order to resolve political issues."

Matytsin said sport should instead be used "to be an ambassador of peace and build bridges between peoples".

Athletes from Ukraine have accused the IOC of "being on the wrong side of history" as Games organisers consider whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, which has supported Russian invasion efforts, should be able to take part in Paris.

IOC president Thomas Bach previously criticised Ukrainian calls for a boycott of the Olympics if Russians and Belarusians are allowed to take part.

In a statement issued in conjunction with union Global Athlete, Ukraine's Olympic committee said allowing Russia to compete would enable the country to "use the athletes to bolster the war effort and distract from the atrocities in Ukraine".

JOA President, Christopher Samuda, was in a “business unusual” mode in addressing the audience at the Tornadoes Swim Club’s recent 2022 Awards Ceremony held at its new home on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

President Samuda challenged Jamaica’s aspiring Olympic swimmers to “deep dive into history and there you will find the inspiration of Tornadoes’ Olympians. Deep dive into the present and there you will discover you, the present generations of swimmers, images of yourself, as you aspire to be on the Olympic stage. Deep dive into the future and you will envision what you must become – the standard by which swimmers will be judged, a model athlete and a legacy creator.”

The past year for the club was very successful with Sabrina Lyn, Israel Allen and Rhiana Gayle receiving athlete of the year awards in their respective disciplines at the RJR/Gleaner National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards Ceremony, a feat which underscores the club’s prowess.

In exhorting the swimmers, President Samuda charged them “to possess a spirit of commitment, an uncompromising spirit to transform the sport by dint of your own performances and the standards which define those performances and to possess the character of a champion that goes beyond and above the podium on which you will receive that gold medal and the admiration of a national, regional and global sporting fraternity.”

But, like an experienced diver who surfaces with the pearl, President Samuda reminded Jamaica’s aspiring Olympians that “when you deep dive you can’t remain under water. You must rise like a phoenix with the prize held aloft in victory, in triumph. For it is only when you rise that you will have understood and overcome the challenges of the deep and appreciate the horizon of the human spirit and be able to tell your story.”

The narrative of sport is equally a national as it is a community story and this truism was emphasised by JOA’s boss in delivering his address. In encouraging Jamaica’s future, he said: “Outside of the household of the Tornadoes swim club there is a community to which you, swimmers, belong and have a duty to be model citizens. The principles of fair play and mutuality in sport, the value of friendships made in sport and the character of humility in victory and resilience in disappointment experienced in sport are priceless qualities which must never depart from you and your experience in your community.”

In the sport’s recent Olympic history, Alia Atkinson, has been carrying the national flag with distinction and President Samuda, in expressing optimism for the future, comments that “there is a reservoir of talent that can provide an Olympic stream but we must, in a structured and almost scientific way, unlock the talent pipeline when they are young in opening the floodgates when they become mature.”

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced the new Board of Directors of Independence Park Limited.

The Board will be chaired by Dr. the Honourable Michael Fennell with Mr. David Shirley as Deputy Chairman.

The other members are:  Mrs. Annmarie Heron, Assistant Commissioner of Police Terrence Bent, Lieutenant Colonel Eldon Morgan, Ms. Stefani Dewar, Mr. Lenford Salmon, Mr. Carlton Dennis, Ms. Audrey Chin, Mr. Edward Barnes, Dr. Peter Charles, Ms. Shaneek Clacken and Major Desmon Brown.

The Board will serve for a period of two years with effect from 16 January 2023. Independence Park Limited operates, promotes, and manages sports facilities including the National Stadium Complex and Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.

The three awards won at the recent 2022 RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards have come as a boon of motivation for both athletes and members of the coaching staff of the Tornadoes Swim Club.

On Friday, January 20, three swimmers of the Kingston-based club were recipients of a national award for their successes in both swimming and triathlon over the past year.

Leading the pack in swimming is the now overseas-based,18 -year-old Sabrina Lyn, former Tornadoes Swim Club member, who copped the 2022 Female Swimmer of the Year Award following gold medal performances at the 2022 Carifta Swimming Championships where she also set a personal best time the 100m Butterfly and set a meet record in the relay.

Lyn also won gold and other medals at the inaugural Caribbean Games held in Guadeloupe and set the 200m record in the butterfly at the CCAN Swimming Championship in Barbados.

The talented young swimmer, who was recently accepted to Louisiana State University (LSU) said that receiving the award has been a “very honouring experience”. She said that she felt inspired to walk in the footsteps of Jamaica’s swimming doyenne Alia Atkinson who also received the national honour.

“This makes me feel like I am on track to represent Jamaica and my club and to walk in her footsteps on the Olympic stage,” she said.

Female Triathlete of the Year is Rihanna Gayle copped first place at the the Jamaica National Championship Triathlon and was a silver medalist in the CARIFTA Aquathlon in Bermuda last November.

Gayle also secured silver in the World Triathlon Development Regional Cup hosted in Santa Domingo in October 2022.

“It was a big motivation for me to be there at the ceremony and to be recognized among all the great athletes in Jamaica,” said the 17-year-old, who is a student at the St. Andrew High School for Girls.

“Triathlon is a unique sport, and it takes a lot of work, but I am also willing to work hard to accomplish more and to go further in the Triathlon.”

Sixteen-year-old Israel Allen, a student at Jamaica College and National Triathlon Champion, was elated to receive the Male award and is proud of his achievements in the sport.

Allen has represented Jamaica on various occasions in both competitive swimming and triathlon and has won several awards including a bronze medal for Jamaica at the 2022 CARIFTA Aquathlon.

Head Coach of the Tornadoes, Wendy Lee was in a jubilant mood following last Friday’s announcements and hailed the success of the three awardees who she says, “Have been striving towards excellence since they were eight years old.”

 “These awards are indeed a physical manifestation of the hard work that we continue put in to producing Jamaica’s best aquatics athletes and as head coach, I am extremely proud of the strides that all our athletes are taking led of course by Sabrina, Rihanna, and Israel,” Lee said.

She credits the round of successes the club secured in 2022 to the holistic approach that the club takes to athlete development.

“All of our swimmers are actively pursuing big goals both in and outside of the pool,” Lee said.

“We are committed to age-appropriate training of the highest standards for all our swimmers, and we are truly honoured to continue to facilitate and nurture this tradition of excellence.”

In 2022, the Tornadoes secured victory in seven of nine local meets and are already preparing for what is expected to be continued success in 2023.

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.