Doldron: TT lost an icon

PRESIDENT of the National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA) Ken Doldron yesterday described the passing of famed coach Nestor “Tom” Brown as “a big loss to track and field in Trinidad and Tobago.”

58-year-old Brown, coach of the Phoenix Track and Field Club, succumbed to diabetes at his Malabar, Arima home on Wednes-day evening. Brown was involved in the sport and the club for over 30 years, with national 100-metre sprint king Darrel Brown being his most notable product. Under the guidance of “Tom” Brown, the 19-year-old Darrel grew from virtual obscurity to become one of the world’s top athletes, with success in the CARIFTA Games from 1999-2003; gold in the Westel World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary;  the IAAF World Juniors Championships in Kingston, Jamaica last year; silver at the World Seniors in Paris, France last August, as well as a number of national and regional titles during his five-year career.

“Tom” as he was affectionately called by friends in the track and field fraternity, was the only local coach to train a World Champion sprinter. Doldron noted: “During the Worlds in Jamaica, a lot of people were surprised to know that Darrel was indeed coached by a local.” Nestor Brown was present to see his charge win gold in 10.09 seconds, and was in the process of getting his accreditation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece to witness Darrel’s gold medal quest. Doldron revealed that Brown was disappointed over the recent split in his team, ironically led by Darrel’s father Winston, with the formation of the Silver Bullet Athletic Club. But Nestor, a retired book-binder at the JFK Library at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus was determined to achieve, despite the odds. A soft-spoken and approachable individual, Brown’s funeral is tentatively set for Tuesday.