Guardian Media Sports Journalist Rachael Thompson-King, the Newsgatherng Editor - Sports, was recognised for her contribution to the sports of basketball and netball, and journalism with the Future Is Female as she shared the event’s spotlight alongside track and field athlete Jereem “The Dream” Richards and cyclist Teniel Campbell, who were named as the 2022 T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC) Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year, when the head sporting organisation held its 28th annual awards ceremony which took place virtually on Thursday.
Thompson-King is a 20-year veteran journalist who is a former national basketball player at the junior and senior levels. The Point Fortin native, who is an athletic scholarship winner, captained her club team Horizon to three national titles in the National Basketball Federation National of T&T (NBFTT) Championships between 2007 and 2011 and she also led her club to five titles in the North Zone Basketball Commission between 2004 to 2011. Thompson-King is the current president of her club, which also campaigns in the Port-of-Spain Netball League.
Meanwhile, the win for the 28-year-old Point Fortin-born Richards was his third in five years after previous triumphs in 2017, and 2018 while Campbell secured her second top TTOC award after her first triumph in 2020.
Richards doubled up on his award haul on the night as he was also presented with the Sports Personality of The Year award. The T&T sprinter was in some of his best form this year as he starred on the track at the Commonwealth Games winning gold in the men’s 200-meter event. He even broke his personal best and the meet record on his way to defending his men’s 200m title.
Richard continues to show his humility as he was swift to praise his competition for these awards.
He said, “It’s an honour to receive the sporting personality award, especially being considered among such prestigious athletes as Dylan Carter and Nicholas Paul.”
His request for T&T’s national anthem to be that of the steelpan rendition at The Commonwealth Games, a request which was granted, will not long be forgotten by local track and field fans.
Campbell, who made her Olympic debut in 2021 had a stellar season this year as well. She won gold at the 2022 Elite Caribbean Road Championships in the Dominican Republic in October and was first in the points race at the Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Peru.
At the Commonwealth Games, Campbell finished sixth in the women’s road race in a field of over 50 cyclists. In the time trial, she ended seventh in a field which included over 30 athletes.
The People’s Choice Awards was presented to cyclist Nicholas Paul who had T&T’s largest medal haul at the Commonwealth games where he copped three medals in London.
He won gold in the keirin, got silver in the sprint and took bronze in the 1K time trial. Paul was the 2021 TTOC sportsman of the year.
The Junior Sportsman Award went to Nikoli Blackman after his first-place finishes at both The Caribbean and Pan American games, while The Junior Sportswoman award was presented to Double National Junior Champion Phobe Sandy (cycling) who showed great promise at the Junior World Championships.
The Alexander B. Chapman award was given to the past President of T&T’s Hockey Board Maureen Craig Rosseau for her outstanding contribution to Olympism in T&T.
