First Citizens Sports Awards nominees

Among the athletes expected to be in the spotlight are Olympic bronze medallist Keshorn Walcott who showed his 2012 London Games javelin gold was no fluke with yet another podium finish in Rio last year. Among the women vying for the top award are sprinter Michhelle Lee Ahye who was a finailist in the Olympic 100m and 200m finals and national cricketer Merissa Aguilleira who helped the Windies women win the World T20 title last and guided TT to the Regional Super50 and T20 crowns.

AMATEUR BOXING Nigel Paul It took Nigel Paul only a year to complete a journey into an elite group.

Having decided to take a stab at boxing in February 2015, Paul’s discipline and focus would vault him to the top of the local super-heavyweight totem pole and earn him successful representation of Trinidad and Tobago in international competition. This all led in to the Americas Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last March. It is here that Paul finished second in his division to Cuba’s Lenier Pero and became just the fifth fighter to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Olympics.

In spite of an eventual defeat to Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba, after getting a bye to the Round of 16, Paul gained valuable experience in both Rio de Janeiro, as well as at the World Series of Boxing in Aguascalientes, Mexico and is now positioned as one of the leaders for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

A UTOMOBILE SPORTS Franklyn Boodram With his father, a legend of motor racing in Trinidad and Tobago, plus a son who has already established himself as one of the top young drivers in the Americas, Franklyn Boodram is well aware of how synonymous his family name is with the sport.

In helping Trinidad and Tobago to capture the 2016 Caribbean Motorsport Racing Championship title, he did his part to honour both his immediate heritage and local autosports. After the team dominated events held in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, it was all confirmed at the final leg in Guyana where, paced by the efforts of Boodram, who earned second place in the Group 4 – Two-Wheel Drive category in his Renault Megane, Trinidad and Tobago (1,481.5 pts) blew past the competition to the overall title ahead of Barbados (688.5).

Boodram was also in outstanding form on the local scene: he earned the TTASA Group 4 title after dominating the division during the 2016 circuit racing season.

Bridget Singh Hailing from a racing family – her dad, Ravi Singh, is an established driver - Bridget Singh is very much a part of the speed fraternity.

She still gets the job done on the track and the 20-year old, who made her circuit racing debut in 2016, played her role in Trinidad and Tobago capturing the overall Caribbean Motorsport Racing Championship title. Competing over a series of four events, Singh made history as she earned a second- place overall finish in Group 1 in her Honda Civic during the final competition at the South Dakota Raceway in Guyana; she became the first female driver to earn a podium spot. Earlier on, at the third event at Bushy Park, Barbados, she recorded the fastest lap time by a woman in the history of the Championship.

Singh was also outstanding during the 2016 TTASA circuit racing season; a major highlight was her victory in the handicap division at Wallerfield in September.

BADMINTON Will Lee An accomplished junior player within Trinidad and Tobago’s badminton ranks, Will Lee kept on banging away at the door to senior level success until it finally came crashing down.

He entered a room that contained the keys to a quartet of bronze medals that were earned in the men’s singles, doubles, mixed doubles and men’s team events at the CAREBACO Caribbean International Championships in Oranjestad, Aruba. Also on the table for Lee, 19, was the Suriname International in Paramaribo where he took third place in the men’s doubles competition.

Lee would have also been able to locate a couch to sink into and reflect on his victory over Barbados’ Corey Fanus in the singles final at the Solo Open Championships in October, when he also claimed a bronze medal in the men’s doubles. Lee also enjoyed thirdplace positions in both the singles and doubles at the TTBA Championships in April.

Jada Renales Another top badminton youth player who has started making the breakthrough amongst the seniors, Jada Renales successfully managed to bridge both levels with equal windfalls of success.

Renales, 18, captured the national women’s doubles crown and earned a mixed doubles bronze medal at the TTBA National Championships, last April. She also earned a hattrick of under- 19 women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the TTBA junior nationals. Renales continued her romp through the top ranks at the Solo Open Championships during October: she captured the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles trophies and earned a bronze medal in the singles.

The Valencia resident was also outstanding in international competition: she claimed the women’s doubles title at the Suriname Open; earned silver and bronze medals at the CAREBACO Under-19 International in Oranjestad, Aruba - in the doubles and mixed doubles, respectively; and she copped a trio of third-place finishes at the CAREBACO Junior Championships, which were also staged in Aruba.

BODYBUILDING Dexter Simon Dexter Simon’s exquisite form has certainly helped him to establish himself as one of the top male bodybuilders during 2016.

Amongst the many highlights for the Diego Martin resident were the third-place position in the men’s 45-49 physique masters division at the Arnold Classic Sports Festival Europe in Barcelona, Spain, a fourth-place finish at the IFBB World Junior and Master Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, along with second place finishes in regional circuit competitions – the Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic in Barbados, the St.

Martin Inter-Island Invitational Classic and the Eric Favre Sports Games in Guadeloupe. Simon also enjoyed a third-place display at the LSF Invitational Classic in Anguilla.

Simon was also outstanding amongst his Trinidad and Tobago peers at the TTBBF national championships at the Cascadia Hotel in St. Ann’s, last September, when he took second place in the men’s physique Class A division.

Vanessa Hill By the time a sports personality achieves at least three consecutive years of excellence or consistent topclass contributions, then it is safe to say that person is definitely well on the journey towards achieving personal hegemony within his or her discipline.

Hill, 28, is still relatively young in a game where one can still be at the top in their 40s. But she is very much on schedule to last quite a while longer, especially when one considers her displays in bikini fitness competitions during 2016. She made a huge statement at Arnold Classic Europe in Barcelona with victory in the 166 cm section. Further glory would follow at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Hill captured both the overall and 166 cm titles.

The Trinidadian-Colombian, who now resides in Seabrook, Texas in the USA, also found the time to claim the bikini fitness open class trophy at the TTBBF Championships in St. Ann’s.

CANOEING/KAYAKING Matthew Robinson A consistent kayaker, Matthew Robinson enjoyed a major breakthrough at all levels during 2016.

At the MacGregor National Regatta in the United Kingdom, last September, he earned a fifth-place finish in the K-1 200 metres race. This followed a successful performance in the national trials, where the 23-year old St. Augustine resident claimed second-place finishes in the K-1 100 metres and 200 metres events and took home third spot in his division’s 500 metres competition.

He also enjoyed victories in the Williams Bay to Five Island Races on September 17 and October 15.

Another major highlight for Robinson was the second-place spot he took in the 14 kilometre event at the Ortoire River Race on October 30. He finished in one hour, 20 minutes, 57 seconds, behind winner Sherlon Pierre (1:18:51) and ahead of his brother, Nicholas Robinson (1:24:16).

Felice Chow The ability to live out one’s dreams is one of the most satisfying achievements that can ever be enjoyed. Sometimes the opportunities arrive suddenly; successfully taking advantage of these chances turn out to be part of the challenge.

Felice Aisha Chow only had weeks to prepare for the Americas Olympic Games qualifying competition in Carauma, Chile, last March. But train hard she did and she duly achieved the historic goal of making it to Rio de Janeiro as Trinidad and Tobago’s first competitor in rowing, after taking fifthplace in the women’s single sculls.

The added beauty of it all was that Chow did not merely make up the numbers in Brazil but she gave the event her best shot. Following the first round, she demonstrated total grit to take second place in her repechage heat to advance to the quarterfinals. She eventually made it to the D Final, where she earned fourth-place and a 23rd overall ranking for the singles sculls.

CHESS Kevin Cupid Chess is a mind game. While there are those with the proven ability to consistently out-think and out-manoeuver their opponents, even these persons can be overcome by a well-trained and focused challenger.

Kevin Cupid pretty much adhered to the David role at last year’s World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The 25-year old from Arima defeated the Goliath that was Serbian grand master Nikola Sedlak, ranked over 400 points above Cupid, during a first round match-up between Trinidad and Tobago and Serbia.

Cupid ended the event with five points earned out of a possible 10.

He had earlier beaten an international master and drew with two others while earning second place in his group at the TTCA International Masters tournament.

Before this, he duly earned his FIDE Master title during the Sub-Zonal 2.3.5 Championship in Barbados.

Cupid also found the time to win titles at both the National Swiss Championships in November, along with the Knights Open.

Gabriella Johnson One of a group of outstanding junior chess players, Johnson hit the senior level in a big way at the World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.

At the mere age of 15, she managed to earn 7.5 points out of a possible 10 – the highest score by a female at this event - to eventually become the first to be bestowed as a Woman FIDE Master at the World Olympiad. It was also the second highest score by a Trinidad and Tobago player at the Olympiad. Johnson earned seven wins at the event, including a victory over an Australian Woman International Master, who was ranked 300 points above her. Johnson had earlier won her division at the TTCA International Open; her performances here included drawing with an International Master from Venezuela and earning 6 points out of 9.

Johnson also enjoyed an unbeaten run – winning all of her seven showdowns – to earn the Trinidad and Tobago national women’s championship title.

CRICKET Evin Lewis It was a year of firsts for Evin Lewis, but some pretty big openers at that.

Not only did he share in West Indies’ triumph in the ICC World T20 championship in India (where he earned his first official cap), he went on to score 100 – his maiden T20 international century – against India in Lauderhill, Florida, five months later. The opening batsman would later make his one-day international debut versus Pakistan; in his fourth ODI appearance in November, Lewis scored his first 50-overs century, 148, against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Lewis also helped Trinidad and Tobago to win the Nagico Super50 regional competition for the second year in a row by scoring a total of 221 runs at an average of 44.20, with 102 posted against Jamaica in a first round affair. In the WICB Professional Cricket League, Lewis had a total of 442 runs to his name with 104 slammed against Jamaica at Kingston plus three half-centuries.

Merissa Aguilleira It was the moment at which West Indies women’s cricket had scaled its highest peak.

An 8-wicket victory over Australia in the ICC Women’s World T20 championship final in Kolkata ensured a double triumph in India for both the Caribbean men and women in their concurrent competitions. It also capped off a women’s tournament in which mainstay wicket-keeper Aguilleira executed two vital catches and two stumpings apiece.

She also enjoyed a couple of useful performances with the bat in one-day internationals during the year, with 40 versus South Africa in East London and 42 not out against India in Vijayawada.

But Aguilleira also saved up important contributions for the Trinidad and Tobago women’s team, which she captained to the Super50 and Twenty20 double at the WICB Women’s Championships in Guyana; she enjoyed a joint-tournament- leading five dismissals in the Twenty20 section, along with scoring 82 runs that included an unbeaten 50 in a 73-run victory over Windward Islands.

CYCLING Njisane Phillip Morning training laps at the track. Afternoon sessions at the gym.

Once again, all the hard work and sacrifice paid off as Trinidad and Tobago’s star cyclist, Njisane Phillip, continued to exhibit his outstanding personal brand on the highest stages of the sport as he challenged some of the globe’s best. He earned an eighth-place overall finish in the sprint in the UCI World Cup event in Hong Kong and followed this up with a 14th place ranking at the World Track Championships in London, England, with a clocking of 9.969 seconds to qualify for his second Olympic Games appearance in Rio de Janeiro.

He earned 13th position overall in the sprint in Brazil as he competed against the likes of three-time Olympic medalist Maximilian Levy of Germany and China’s Xu Chao. Phillip’s career has been a major inspiration for fellow local cyclists and a third Olympic Games appearance in Tokyo, Japan in 2020 will vault him into an elite group.

Teniel Campbell Trinidad and Tobago is in the midst of a cycling renaissance with outstanding performances in international competition becoming more and more of the norm.

Teniel Campbell, 19, is just one out of a group of promising riders and she definitely earned her stripes over long distances during 2016. At the Caribbean Elite Road Championships in Guadeloupe, Campbell captured the gold medal in the women’s time trial with a time of 34 minutes, 39.76 seconds over a distance of 22 km. She finished ahead of Laura Gueppois and Christel Martinez of Guadeloupe A and B, respectively.

Campbell also reigned supreme in the TTCF national road championships in August, when she won the women’s road race over 98 km, the time trial and the criterium. The Pleasantville resident also triumphed in the keirin at the Easter International Grand Prix in Arima, as she took the title ahead of Mandy Marquardt of the USA and her Trinidad and Tobago compatriot, Kollyn St. George.