Former long jumper Che Richards had some advice for athletes at the National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAATTs) End of Year Awards ceremony at the Radisson Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain on Saturday - “ Commit yourselves to faith.”
At 27 years old, Richards, a former St Mary’s College student, excelled in both sports and academics and was rewarded with a scholarship to the University of Edinburgh, in the UK where he is currently studying Law.
In 2013, Richards claimed a bronze medal in the long jump at the Carifta Games for boys under 17. His continued excellence, coupled with his performance in open language in 2015, earned him an open scholarship, making him the third such athlete to have been offered an open scholarship.
However, the towering figure of Richards stood before a large, intimidating audience to inform athletes about the importance of having faith in one’s existence and in their goal.
Feeding from the Theme- ‘ Committed to excellence in action’ Richards, the event’s feature speaker said- “ I think athletes and individuals sometimes get committed to the goal which is a weird statement to make because you need to be committed to the goal, but you need to be committed to the goal, you need to do your extra reps, the extra sets etc, however, I believe that we should be committed to faith.”
“ Put in the work yes, but also be consistent in your belief that when you put in the work, despite any obstacle, you will win. We must train ourselves to have faith in things we cannot see, knowing that everything we do has a purpose and it will all fall into place.”
At the awards, Jereem Richards and Leah Bertrand were named the top senior track athletes for 2024, with javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott and shot putter Portious Warren taking home the awards for the top senior field athletes.
Meanwhile, Queen’s Royal College student Tafari Waldron who smashed the national U-20 record in the 5,000 meters in a jaw-dropping performance of 14 minutes and 57.95 seconds to obliterate the 33-year-old national record held by Quintin John, was also highlighted as the country’s top junior athlete.
Richards urged athletes that their commitment to faith was more than all the medals and other accolades they would achieve. “ I believe that to be the foundation of any successful individual, and when I say successful I don’t mean material success. Yes, the medals, the cars, the houses, and the sponsorship deals are all important, but we must always remember that we are individuals first before we are athletes. Being an athlete is only a fraction of who you are, it is what you are during training and competition, but life happens even outside of the track, so it is also important to feed and nurture that part of you, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. And to do so you feed that individual with faith, kindness, hope, love, healthy friendship and community,” Richards explained.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Community Development David Roberts who deputised for Minister Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis assured his ministry’s commitment to supporting the growth and development of the sport.
“ There can be no doubt that a strong supportive governance structure, populated by persons whose first interest is the athletes’ growth and development will produce the best results. Moreover, athletics is seeing a resurgence in the number of participating clubs, the number of coaches and technical staff becoming qualified, and the number of athletes being registered,” Roberts said.
“ To this end, we have seen some encouraging trends. Firstly, there has been an increased participation by women and girls in various events, signalling positive progress toward greater gender balance in sports.”
HONOUR ROLL
Under-9 Male- Jahmir Christian (Cougars)
U-9 Female- Kiome Reid (Zenith)
Under-11 Male- Azziron Williams
U-11 Female- Naomi Phillip (Cougars)
Under-13 Male- Seth Sylvester (Cougars)
U-13 Female- Gloria Henry
U-15 Male (Track)- Jayden Goodridge
U-15 Female (Track)- (Oshea Cummings
U-15 Male (Field) - Michael Paul
U-15 Female (Field)- Karissa Williams
U-17 Male (Track) - Kadeem Chinapoo
U-17 Female (Track) - Jenna Marie Thomas
U-17 Male (Field) - Tyrique Vincent
U-17 Female (Field)- Peyton Winter
U-20 Male (Track) - Tafari Waldron
U-20 Female (Track)- Sole Frederick
U-20 Male (Field)- LeBron James
U-20 Female (Field) - Janae De Gannes
Men Track- Jereem Richards
Female Track- Leah Bertrand
Men Field - Keshorn Walcott
Female Field - Portious Warren
Multi Events Male- Dorian Charles
Multi Events Female- Kaori Robley
Road Running Male- Nicholas Romany
Road Running Female- Samantha Shukla
Cross Country Male- Nicholas Romany
Cross Country Female- April Francis
Junior Male of the Year- Tafari Waldron
Junior Female of the Year- Janae De Gannes
Senior Male of the Year- Jereem Richards
Senior Female of the Year- Leah Bertrand
Juvenile Club of the Year- RSS Phoenix AC
Junior Club of the Year- RSS Phoenix AC
Senior Club of the Year- Abilene Wildcats
Outstanding Performances:
Jereem Richards, Tafari Waldron, Dorian Charles, Aaron Antoine, Nathan Cumberbatch, Sole Frederick, Janae De Gannes, Che Wickham, Kadeem Chinapoo, Hakeem Chinapoo, Mikhail Byer, Dylan Woodruffe, Akeem Stewart, Keshorn Walcott.
President’s Award- Kadeem Chinapoo
Long & Meritorious Service:
Allan Baboolal, Wade Franklyn, Durly Lucas, Lucretia Warner Burns, Joyce Thomas