NAAA President George Commissiong is not impressed with the absence of the men’s 100-meter contestants in the Olympics

Sports

Jonathan Ramnanansingh

An hour ago

TRINIDAD AND Tobago’s inability to qualify for the men’s 100m at the Tokyo Games should give the men’s 4x100m relay a chance to make every effort to improve their performance for the one Mastering the round event.

That’s what George Commissiong, president of the National Association of Athletics Administrations of TT (NAAAA) says, believes TT’s shortcomings at the individual event will serve as a platform to increase the team‘s chances of a podium finish in the relay.

Since the last Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016, no national sprinter has been able to fall below or achieve the revised Olympic standard of 10.05 seconds for the men’s 100 m.

This means that TT will set up an Olympic squad with no participants for this event; for the first time since the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

The three-time Olympic champion Richard “Torpedo” Thompson, Adell Colthrust, Kion Benjamin, Eric Harrison and Akanni Hislop were selected from the 57-man Olympic team for the men’s 4×100 meter relay.

“Of course it is a disappointment that no one has qualified in the men’s 100 m, but we also see this as an opportunity,” said Commissiong on Sunday.

“In the past we have suffered from insufficient relay preparation, as the athletes had to concentrate on their individual events out of necessity and were only available after these events had ended.

“On this occasion the members of our gentlemen 4x100m can fully concentrate on the relay.”

The athletics team in Tokyo consists of 21 athletes and six officials.

At the games, the TT will be represented in seven disciplines – athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, rowing, sailing and swimming.

Commissiong added that the pandemic put additional pressure on some athletes to qualify, especially those who could not go abroad and benefit from professional training and top international competitions.

He was still happy with the TT athletics line-up and praised their efforts to qualify for the Games from July 23rd to August 8th.

“Covid19 has presented our sport with a number of challenges. Nevertheless, we managed to put together a decent team in terms of age and gender composition.

“Some of the athletes had a pretty good season with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, while others did not get the full benefit of the competition due to limited opportunities.

“With the team selected, members can now focus on fully preparing for the start of the competition,” he said.

However, following the release of the 57-man TT Olympic team by the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) on Saturday, the national sprinter Jonathan Farinha reported a foul due to his failure to participate in the men’s 4×100 meter relay.

On Friday, the NAAA submitted its final list of athletes to the TTOC for ratification.

However, Farinha believes he was snubbed from being selected for the squad. He made the remarks on the grounds that he had beaten Thompson and two-time Olympic medalists Keston Bledman and Emmanuel Callender in a 100m race in the Bahamas last week.

The 25-year-old was one of a number of TT-based track and field athletes who traveled to the Bahamas over the weekend of June 25-27 to compete in the island’s national championships as a last-ditch attempt to reach Olympic qualification.

He didn’t make it to the meeting in time, however, but was fortunate enough to secure another shot to Tokyo on Tuesday at the Island’s Blue Marlins Track and Field Series – the final day of Olympic qualification for athletics worldwide.

There, Farinha and 14 other international TT players, including Thompson, Bledman, Callender, Semoy Hackett and Kai Selvon, tried to save the Olympic qualification in their respective disciplines. All were unsuccessful in achieving the required Olympic standards.

At the meeting, the Abilene Wildcats athlete made a strong case for the selection of the national team by setting the third fastest time (10.40 seconds) in the men’s 100 meters and then fourth (10.41) in the final . In both cases he was the fastest of all other TT athletes.

In the final, Thompson (10.44) was fifth, Callender (10.45) sixth, Tyrell Edwards (10.48) seventh, Andre Marcano (10.54) eighth and Jerod Elcock (10.61) ninth. The top three winners were Travis Collins (10.17) from Guyana and Emanuel Archibald (10.36) as well as the Bahamian Joel Johnson (10.39).

Farinha was also not included in the TT ‘A’ men’s 4x100m relay (Thompson, Callender, Hislop and Benjamin) in the Bahamas, which won silver with 39.63.

Prior to his appearance in the Bahamas, at his only other meeting for 2021, he saw 10.50 seconds at an NAAA development meeting in early January.

But after the TTOC team’s announcement on Saturday, Farinha congratulated his TT colleagues but expressed his disappointment at not being accepted into the relay. He ventured his feelings on Facebook.

“It’s a shame that I wasn’t selected for the (TT) Olympic (team). I can only control the things that are meant for me, and if this wasn’t my time, I guess I know best.

“It is honestly disheartening that I was kicked off the team after having shown the best fitness this year, running almost no races, and still being able to go to the Bahamas just before that same selection for the Olympics to emerge victorious.

“I wish all athletes all the best and may God protect you all out there,” he wrote on his page.

Olympic contingent of TT for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan –

TRACK AND FIELD: Michelle-Lee Ahye (100m, 4x100m relay), Kelly Ann Baptiste (100m, 4x100m relay), Sparkle McKnight (400m hurdles), Tyra Gittens (long jump), Semoy Hackett (4x100m relay), Khalifa St Fort (4x100m Relay), Ayla Stanisclaus (4x100m relay), Kyle Greaux (200m), Jereem Richards (200m), Machel Cedenio (400m, 4x400m), Deon Lendore (400m, 4x400m relay), Dwight St Hillaire (400m, 4x400m relay), Andwuelle Wright (long jump), Keshorn Walcott (Speer), Kion Benjamin (4x100m relay), Adell Colthrust (4x100m relay), Eric Harrison (4x100m relay), Akanni Hislop (4x100m relay), Richard Thompson (4x100m relay), Asa Guevara (4x400m Relay), Che Lara (4x400m relay), George Comissiong (team manager), NicConnor Alexander (trainer), Dr. Ian Hypolite (Trainer), Charles Joseph (Trainer), Ismael Lopex Mastrapa (Trainer), Wendell Williams (Trainer)

BOXING: Aaron Prince (middleweight boxer 69-75kg), Reynold Cox (team manager), Rawlson Dopwell (trainer)

CYCLING: Teniel Campbell (road racing), Kwesi Browne (sprint, keirin), Nicholas Paul (sprint, keirin), Desmond Roberts (team manager), Alejandro Gonzalez Tablas (trainer), Elijah Greene (mechanic)

JUDO: Gabriella Wood (+78 kg), Lee Calder (trainer)

ROWING: Felice Aisha Chow (single scull), Sarah Trowbridge (trainer)

SAILING: Andrew Lewis (laser men), Kairon Serrette (team manager)

SWIMMING: Dylan Carter (100m freestyle), Cherelle Thompson (50m freestyle), Tracy De Montrichard-Carter (team manager), Chase Bloch (coach)

TT OLYMPIC DELEGATION MANAGEMENT: Lovie Santana (Chef de Mission), Rheeza Grant (Covid Liaison Officer)

MEDICAL TEAM: Dr. Rudranath Ramsawak (Chief Medical Officer), Dr. Nailah Adams (doctor), Dr. Anyl Gopiesingh (athletics), Jelani Baptiste (physiotherapist), Alban Merepeza (physiotherapist), June Durham (massage therapist), Odessa Chandler (massage therapist), Shurlan Bonas (massage therapist), Brent Elder (massage therapist).