Golden Akeem

His accomplishment follows the gold medal he won at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with a world record of 57.32m. Stewart has set a new record of 57.61m.

The secret to Stewart’s success is focus and determination.

According to his father Wayne, the athlete is able to manage his training well.

“He understands that (when one tournament ends) and another one is coming (you have to) prepare and be ready,” Wayne said. “Barring injuries and the minor shortcomings, you have to know when to rest, when to pull back and step it up again.

(It’s) hard work, dedication and focus.” In addition to his achievements in javelin, Akeem finished fifth in the men’s discuss F44 final with a top throw of 56.53m on Sunday.

This, even with elbow and toe problems.

We also take a moment to hail the medal of Nyoshia Cain who snatched bronze in the women’s 100m T44 final on Monday. We also commend the effort of Jabari Knights who represented TT in the men’s 200m T54 event, just missing a spot in the final.

These athletes are a reminder that while there is much that is dark, there is much that is bright in Trinidad and Tobago. They are inspirations to us all and a reminder of our potential. We can stand tall along the best in the world and should endeavour to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of life.

The success at the games is also a reminder of the importance of ensuring the disabled in this country are not left behind. Contrary to belief in some quarters, a disability is far from a death sentence.

It is a reminder of our innate diversity and the need to ensure no one is discriminated against.

More needs to be done to ensure the disabled are able to achieve the highest standard of life possible. There are still too many public buildings — many run by the State — that have not completely catered for wheelchairs, for example.

The bus service for the disabled should also be expanded.

And HIV/AIDS sensitisation programmes targeting the disabled should also be continued.

But it’s not only the State that should take action. Our society needs to change its attitudes. We endorse the recent call by President Anthony Carmona who urged parents of disabled people to not abandon them.

We note the role of corporate societies and NGOs such as the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). The NCPD has been exemplary in its approach to setting an inclusive policy.

That policy sees it “committed to equality of opportunities in the administration of its educational/training programmes for individuals. It conducts its assessment and awarding processes in a manner that does not discriminate against a prospective or incumbent trainee or apprentice on the grounds of race, age, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic origin or marital status.” Let us hope that the achievements of our athletes will inspire the State to improve how it maintains and develops infrastructure. That would be even better than gold.