GAMES

Sandwiched between Mo Farah annexing the 5,000 metres so gloriously and Usain Bolt landing his third gold of the meeting – and a world record – in the sprint relay, a 19-year-old kid called Keshorn Walcott was busy showing us why athletics remains the one Olympic sport with a true global reach.

Here was a teenager from a little Caribbean island with no heritage in the throwing events becoming the youngest ever javelin winner in the history of the Games. Cricketing geniuses like Brian Lara, yes. The odd dazzling footballer like Dwight Yorke, too. Or a one-off champion sprinter like the 1976 100 metres king Hasely Crawford. But a Trinidadian javelin thrower? Now we were in the realms of ‘cool chuckings’ fantasy.

Then Keshorn told his amazing story. About how he had been no good at sprinting or triple jump so had started off hurling bamboo sticks around on the beaches near his home and then graduated to throwing a javelin for fun with his cousins on an old school field. About how he had no proper facilities to train so ended up having to make the regular slog to Port of Spain just to learn his trade.

Yet within four years, even though he never believed he could win here, he had beaten all the powerhouses from the European javelin strongholds and sent Trinidad into such sheer delight that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced Monday as a national holiday.

Keshorn’s fairytale seemed to sum up what a magnificent, surprising championships London 2012 was treated to in the Olympic Stadium.

BBC pundit Colin Jackson suggested the 21 year-old South African might have been reluctant to cause another media storm by winning, having been thrust into the spotlight at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin when a row over her gender overshadowed her victory.

Semenya ran a bizarre race at the Olympic Stadium, staying at the back of the field for the whole first circuit before finishing strongly to win silver in 1min 57.23sec.

She left her kick far too late to catch Russia's Mariya Savinova, who was away and gone down the home straight to win in 1-56.19.

But the former world champion, who underwent gender tests after her Berlin win, claimed she just got her tactics wrong.

"The plan was to win gold," she said "Unfortunately I made a wrong move and it was too late to kick.

AS the nation celebrates the success of gold medal Olympian, 19-year-old Keshorn Walcott, another teenager has promised to work hard to secure a medal when she competes at the London 2012 Paralympics later this month.

Physically challenged national swimmer Shanntol Ince will be competing in the 400-metre freestyle, 100-metre butterfly, and 100-metre backstroke events.

Shanntol, the Express Individual of the Year 2011, was born with a right leg significantly shorter than the left, but has astounded many by excelling in the pool.

The 17-year-old created history by becoming the country's first Paralympic athlete to compete at last year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.

She also won bronze medals at the Parapan Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico last November in the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.

Ince has also excelled at academics, passing all the subjects she wrote for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination this year.

Ince, of Claxton Bay, is also an ambassador in the Ministry of the People and Social Development Disability Programme where she is chosen to act as a spokesperson for persons with disabilities.

The Paralympics is held immediately following the Olympics and involves athletes with physical disabilities, including those with mobility and visual impairment, and amputees.

Ince told the Express yesterday that it was exciting and nerve-racking to have seen the athletes compete in the Olympics, and she was inspired by each effort.

She said Walcott's gold medal javelin throw "was pretty amazing to me".

Ince, who spoke with the Express from her home yesterday, said, "words can't describe how I feel right now. I feel very excited and nervous.

But I am prepared. I have been training hard. I will try my best. I am going to do my best.

Yes I am looking for gold but that is not my main focus. My main focus is to be the best I can, and not try to put too much pressure on myself because I can get really nervous at times, especially while waiting."

The last time this country won precious metal was at the New York 1984 Paralympics.

In that year, Rachael Marshall, whose hometown is Toco, won two gold medals in javelin throw and shot put, and a bronze in the 100 metres freestyle in swimming.

Marshall is the only Trinidad and Tobago national to win medals at the Paralympics the two times this country participated. This year will be the third time the country is participating in the Paralympics, and the first in 24 years.

Ince said she had increased her training from two hours, six days a week, to training for four hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in addition to the two hours on the other days.

She trains with the Marlins Swim Club with sessions at the 50 metre pool at St Anthony's College in Westmoorings. The one other Paralympic athlete competing in London is visually impaired Carlos Greene, in the shot put and discus throwing events.

The two athletes leave for the competition on August 24 and return on September 11.

The games officially begin on August 27 and end on September 9.

Five persons will accompany the athletes on the journey, among them president of Trinidad and Tobago Paralympics Committee, Kenneth McKell, his wife Debra McKell who is the Committee's administrative officer, and coaches Franz Huggins and Lester Osouna.

Ince's father St Paul Ince said although he would not be able to travel to London to be with his daughter, he would be watching every event on television.

He added, "It is indeed and honour for her to be able to reach that far."

By Sue-Ann Wayow

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

'On behalf of the people of Trinidad & Tobago, we thank you, Keshorn, and may the Lord continue to bless you,'Persad-Bissessar shouted into a microphone over the chanting crowd.

Walcott, who is from the tiny Trinidadian farming village of Toco, looked slightly stunned by the outpouring of gratitude from his countrymen.

'I was proud to carry the flag of T&T and thanks to everyone for all the support and thanks to Mum and Dad, my brothers and sister,' said Walcott, who was the world junior champion in javelin before his big weekend win at the London Olympics.

Other dignitaries from countries all over the world turned out to greet the returning athletes, including Algeria's sports minister Hachemi Dijar, who was there to greet the country's only medal winner

Meanwhile Qatar's bronze medal winners received a warm welcome from Shiekh Joann bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the son of the Emir of Qatar.

Nasser al-Attiyah took bronze in the skeet men's final in the shooting at London 2012, while high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim also returned to Qatar decorated with a bronze medal.

Brazilian medal-winners touched down on home soil bearing the Olympic flag from London, making the start of four years of preparations ahead of the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio mayor Eduardo Paes waved the flag, which is emblazoned with the five Olympic rings, as he and other officials disembarked from their flight back from London.

Mr Paes said it was an 'important moment' for Rio and the country as a whole.

'I see the arrival of this Olympic flag as not the start, but the consolidation of an important process of transformation for the city of Rio de Janeiro,' he said.

'Rio is a city that spent the lion's share of its history, much more time than it should have, looking towards the past. I'm sure that this process of transformation, this turning toward the future, has been consolidated here.'