Legendary T&T sports figures, weightlifters Rodney Adolphus Wilkes and Lennox Kilgour, will be honoured posthumously at the Pan American Weightlifting Federation (FPLP) Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 14.
President of the FPLP, Jose Quinones Gonzalez, advised that the virtual Gala in its second edition will start from 4 pm (Lima/Peru time) and will be broadcasted through Zoom, YouTube and Facebook Live.
Representatives from T&T, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Colombia will be honoured in the categories of athletes, leaders, international technical officials and coaches.
According to information from the FPLP Hall of Fame Commission, these personalities were nominated "after the nomination process, confirmation of achievements and internal voting".
Andres Vargas of Puerto Rico was selected as Leader; Ivan Roman of Cuba and Doris Marrero of Venezuela as official; and Luis Carlos Arrieta and Jaiber Manjarrez of Colombia as a coach.
Wilkes (1925 - 2014) won two Olympic medals at two different Games. He was the first athlete from T&T to win an Olympic medal when he won the silver medal at the London 1948 Games in the featherweight division won by the Egyptian Mahmoud Fayad with an Olympic and world record. In the 1952 Games in Helsinki, he was bronze medal behind the Soviet Rafael Chimishkyany Nikolai Saksonov. In the 1956 Melbourne Games, he was fourth.
In 1951, Wilkes won the gold medal at the first Pan American Games in Buenos Aires. In 1946, he became internationally known with his first place in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. He also won gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
Kilgour (1927- 2004) won the bronze medal in the medium heavyweight category at the 1952 Games, was a silver medalist at the 1951 Pan American Games and at the 1954 Commonwealth Games.
Vargas has been the president of the Puerto Rican Weightlifting Federation since 1996 and has also held international positions as president of the PFLP and member of the EC of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). His legacy includes the creation of the Criollo Weightlifting Tournament, now in its 36th edition, and the founding of the first weightlifting cooperative. Under his presidency, the Olympic presence of Puerto Rican weightlifters was boosted. Vargas is a symbol of weightlifting in Puerto Rico.
Marrero is an experienced referee, pedagogue and graduate in Physical Education and Sports Techniques and has had a recognised performance in the international arena in several Central American and Caribbean Games, Bolivarian Games, South American Games, Pan American Games, world tournaments and in the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Román has a long and fruitful career as a coach, professor and researcher in the field of sports. In 1983, he obtained the scientific degree of Doctor in Pedagogical Sciences with his thesis Methodology of training in the competitive period for weightlifters with high mastery. Category One International Referee. He is the only Cuban official designated by the IWF as a referee in three Olympic Games: 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. He has been an official and referee in more than 60 international tournaments and multidisciplinary games.
Arrieta as a coach has played a relevant role in Colombia's international successes in recent years. His pupils have won multiple medals in the World Championships as in the 2019 version. Also noteworthy are the medals won at the Pan American Games in Lima 2019, at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the one recently won at the Olympic tournament in Tokyo.
Manjarrez, biologist-coach, has been an equally successful coach with contributions to training for both high performance and early ages. His experience in the training process has resulted in the benefit of several generations of Colombian Olympic weightlifters such as Oscar Figueroa, Diego Salazar and Javier Mosquera among the most recent figures.
The FPLP Hall of Fame was inaugurated last year (in 2020) as one of the initiatives implemented by the Pan American Weightlifting Federation as a project of encouragement and recognition in the midst of the negative effects of the terrible global pandemic.
The continental weightlifting family has welcomed this idea and is confident of the growing support of all national federations in the region.
TTOC recognises T&T inductees, work of TTWA
T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) president on Saturday expressed his appreciation over the induction of Wilkes and Kilgour into the Pan American Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame and the work being done by the T&T Weightlifting Association (TTWA) to revive the sport, locally.
He said: "The recognition of the outstanding achievements of T&T first Olympic medalists is deeply appreciated given that this year the TT Olympic movement is celebrating 75 years.
"Weightlifting gave T&T its first three Olympic medals. The sport of weightlifting is one of the foundation stones of the Tr&T Olympic Movement.
"In recognition of the contribution of weightlifting to T&T Olympic history, the TTOC has worked with unwavering determination and dedication to assist with the revitalisation and rebirth of the TTWA as a functioning member of the IWF and the Pan Am Weightlifting Federation.
"In this regard, the efforts of the TTWA executive committee undertaking the responsibility to rebuild local Olympic weightlifting is acknowledged. The committee is Stacey Cateau (president), Anthony Marcano, Nadine Khan and Kwanieze John.
"Mr Cateau's dedication and passion for Weightlifting's relevance in Trinidad and Tobago drives his tireless effort and vision.
"Mr Cateau nominated on behalf of the TTWA Messrs Wilkes and Kilgour to the Pan AM Weight Lifting Federation for Hall of Fame consideration.
He added that the TTOC is delighted that these two icons of Olympic weightlifting and sport in T&T have been recognised by the Continental Weightlifting authorities.
"It's important that these two sporting heroes significant contribution be recognised and not be forgotten by the weightlifting world."