TT, Caribbean athletes did us proud

ATHENS: It’s over, the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. And Caribbean athletes can hold their heads high and proudly return to their countries. The athletes, runners, cyclists, hammer and shot put throwers, boxers, swimmers, and jumpers et al, did the Caribbean proud. They are taking back a bag of 30 medals, nine gold, seven silver and 14 bronze. Cuba lead the way with 21 medals including five gold, six silver and 10 bronze. Next was Jamaica who surprised with two gold, winning the women 200 metres and the women 4x100 metres.  They also had one silver and two bronze.

Dominican Republic grabbed gold in the men 400 metres hurdles, and Trinidad and Tobago saw George Bovell III become the first swimmer from the English-speaking Caribbean to win a bronze medal. Apart from the medal winners, there were commendable performances by Caribbean athletes, with Grenada’s Alleyne Francique finishing fourth in the 400 metres flat, Trinidadians Candice Scott ninth in the hammer throw and Cleopatra Borel 11th in the shot put, while the Trinidad and Tobago 4x100 metres team reached the final where they were seventh. While there were some disappointments, the overall performances of the Caribbean athletes gave much pride to the region.