Senior Sports journalist Rachael Thompson-King leaves today for London to cover the 2012 Olympic Games which opens tomorrow and runs until August 13. She will be on hand to witness T&T’s top athletes in action as they go in search of precious medals at the world’s biggest sporting event. The T&T contingent left the pre-Olympic camp in Wales today (Wednesday) for the Olympic Village in London. She will make her way to the EXCel Centre to see Carlos Suarez make his debut in the light flyweight catergory as well as Njisane Phillip at the Velodrome, competing in the sprint and keirin events. Shooter Roger Daniel will go to work at the Royal Artillery Barracks while George Bovell III will seek his second Olympic medal at the Aquatics Centre.

The Olympic Stadium will be the venue where the national track and field athletes will converge against the best in the world. Keston Bledman, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Renny Quow are among the top T&T prospects for success at the Games. Bledman has been impressive leading up to the event, winning his first senior national sprint title in style, blazing to victory to a career best 9.86 seconds. This was in the NAAA Sagicor/NGC National Open Track and Field Championship men’s 100 metres final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, last month. Bledman, Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson and Marc Burns and Rondell Sorillo form the sprint team and wiull challenge the likes of top contenders record-holder Usain Bolt and John Blake, both of Jamaica and United States sprinters Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay. The local group will be joined by Emmanuel Callendar and youngsters Deon Lenore and Jamol James on the 4x100m squad. Thompson did not achieve all of what he had hoped for last season, but had some measure of satisfaction running an impressive 9.96 seconds to cop silver behind Bledman in the final. Sorrillo mean clocked a new personal record (PR), 10.03, to claim bronze

Sorrillo got off to a fast start this season as in his 200m season debut at the Guadeloupe Invitational on May 1. He finished in second place in 20.42 seconds behind winner Churandy Martina (Netherland Antilles/ 20.40). On May 9 at the Cayman Invitational, Sorrillo again finished in second place in the 200m in 20.57 second behind winner Warren Weir (Jamaica/ 20.13). Baptiste also has great chance of becoming the first woman to win an Olympic medal. Baptiste has been excelling over the past seasons, running  consistently ran under 11 seconds in the 100. In Daegu, South Korea at the 2011 World Championships, impressed by claiming bronze in the women’s 100m dash. Baptiste is the reigning national women’s 100m champion and will definitely be one of T&T’s best option for a medal but she will have tough competition in USA’s Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix and Jamaicans Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

T&T TEAM

Athletics
Richard Thompson (100m; 4x100m), Keston Bledman (100m; 4x100m), Rondell Sorillo (100m; 200m; 4x100m), Mark Burns (100m; 4x100m), Renny Quow (400m; 4x400m), Deon Lendore (400m; 4x100m), Wayne Davis II (110m hurdles), Jehue Gordon (400m hurdles), Lalonde Gordon (4x400m), Emmanuel Callendar (4x100m), Machel Cedenio (4x400m), Ade Alleyne-Forte (4x400m), Semoy Hackett (100m; 200m; 4x100m), Kai Selvon (100m; 200m; 4x100m), Michelle-Lee Ahye (100m; 4x100m), Kelly-Ann Baptiste (100m; 4x100m), Janeil Bellille (400m hurdles), Ayanna Alexander (triple jump), Cleopatra Borel-Brown (shot put), Reyare Thomas (4x100m), Sparkle Mc Knight (4x100m); Dexter Voisin (manager), Dr Ian Hypolite (head coach), Edwin Skinner (sprint/hurdles coach), Gunness Persad (sprint/hurdles coach), Ismael Lopez Mastrapa (throws coach)
Boxing
Carlos Suarez (Light Flyweight 46-49kg); Reynold Cox (manager/coach), Raulson Dopwell (coach)
Cycling
Njisane Phillip (sprint, keirin); Peter Maharaj (manager/coach)
Sailing
Andrew Lewis (laser); Kairon Serrette (manager), Fernando Alegre (coach)
Shooting
Roger Daniel (50m pistol, 10m air pistol); Altansetseg Byambajav (manager/coach)
Swimming
George Bovell III (100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle); George Bovell II (manager/coach)

www.guardian.co.tt