Olympic silver medalist sprinter, Richard Thompson, and his bronze medal counterpart, swimmer George Bovell III, head this country's contingent which will begin its departure for the 21st Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from 12 noon today. The Games, which will feature athletes from 31 countries, will officially gets going on Sunday with badminton, squash, shooting, indoor volleyball, swimming and basketball events for T&T athletes. Four years ago, the 26-year-old Bovell III was T&T's lone gold medal winner in the 50 metres freestyle at the CAC Games in Cartagena, Colombia as the locals captured their best ever medal haul of 21, (one gold, nine silver and 11 bronze) for 4th overall among the competing nations. He also won bronze medals in the 200 metres and 100 metres freestyle events.
Other medal winners included are shot putter, Cleopatra Borel-Brown (bronze in Colombia) and swimmer, Sharntelle Mc Lean, who earned a silver four years ago. While Thompson, a Beijing 100 metres silver winner, did not feature four years ago, he is the reigning national champ and along with his fellow Olympic 4 x 100 metres silver medal teammates Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender and Marc Burns will fancy their chances of CAC gold. Other key members of the local team include World Track and Field 400 metres bronze medallist, Renny Quow, 2006 CAC silver medallist, table tennis player Dexter St Louis, his step-daughter Rheann Chung and shooter, Roger Daniel. St Louis and Chung were got bronze in the mixed doubles in Colombia, and Daniel, who was T&T's first medal winner, a bronze.
George Bovell 111...won gold last Games
Cuba were the big winners with 285 medals (138 gold, 86 silver and 31 bronze). Second was Mexico with 275 medals (107 gold, 82 silver, 86 bronze) while Colombia was third (72 gold, 70 silver, 77 bronze). Jamaica was the top English-speaking Caribbean country with nine gold, six silver and seven bronze for seventh spot and Barbados, ninth with (six gold, two silver, 11 bronze). However, the Cubans have opted out of this year's edition due while uncertainty still hangs over Venezuela. In Mayaguez, T&T will be represented in 15 sporting disciplines (basketball, swimming, hockey, volleyball (Indoor and beach), table tennis, squash, equestrian, badminton, canoe/kayaking, archery, tennis, sailing, shooting, rugby, and track and field.
The squash event takes place in Bogota, Colombia while rugby will be contested in Georgetown, Guyana on July 24 and 25. The other participating countries are Antigua & Barbuda, Netherland Antilles, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Cayman Islands, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, St Kitts/Nevis, St Vincent and The Grenadines, St Lucia, Suriname and Venezuela.