Boldon carries TT flag in Athens

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s most successful Olympian, Ato Boldon, has been given the privilege of carrying the national flag ahead of his team-mates at the opening ceremony on Friday of the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The announcement was made yesterday by TT’s Chef de Mission Brian Lewis in the Greek capital. “Ato holds a very special place in our country’s Olympic history. Athens 2004 is a very special Olympic Games,” Lewis said in reference to the selection of Boldon.        

Boldon, 30, has earned four Olympic medals including three bronze and one silver. He also won the 200 metres at the World Championships in 1997, incidentally in Athens. However he has not been able to grab an Olympic gold to equal the feat of his countryman Hasely Crawford who won the 100 metres at the Montreal Games in 1976. In an interview with i95.5 FM Radio on Monday, Boldon, speaking from the island of Crete told talk show host  Andre E Baptiste that the Athens Games will most likely be his last and he would like it to be memorable. “It has been a difficult year for me but I am confident. I have come here and will give my best,” said Boldon, who lives in the United States.

He told i95.5 FM that he feels privileged to carry the national flag in Friday’s opening ceremony observing that it will be the second straight Games that he has been given the prestigious duty. “I don’t think any athlete has carried the national flag in an Olympic Games opening ceremony and for the second straight time,” he said. Although Boldon stated he intended to compete only in the 200 metres in Athens, he was forced to switch back to the 100 metres after a combination of injury and a strict deadline deprived him of a chance to attain the qualifying time for the longer distance.

However he is not worried about his chances in the 100 metres where he is expected to come up against his old training partner Maurice Greene, No 1 ranked Asafa Powell of Jamaica and World Championships gold medallist Kim Collins of St Kitts. Also tipped to be a threat to the favourites is Boldon’s team-mate Darrel Brown, second placed in the World Championships last year in Paris, France. Boldon said he feels no pressure coming into the Athens competition and likened it to his performance at the last Olympics in Sydney, Australia four years ago. “When I went to Sydney I was running reasonably well but the competition there was good and I  managed to return with two medals,” Boldon told i95.5 FM radio.

He said he was drawing his confidence from the amazing run he had at the Sagicor National Championships when he won the 100 metres final in 10.09 seconds, beating Brown and Burns in the process at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. Also on the programme Chef de Mission Lewis reported that all was well with the TT athletes who were in the process of arriving at the Games Village. Lewis said he was very impressed with the facilities built by the Greeks and predicted that outstanding performances are in store over the next fortnight..