Page 12 - Team TTO PARIS 2024
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“I learnt a lot,” Roberts says of his 1962 experience. “I knew what I had to do.”

                                         In his 2011 publication, Olympian, Basil Ince describes the 1966 third leg clash
                                          between Roberts and Kerr.

                                           “Ed, by this time, a more seasoned and experienced campaigner found himself
                                           behind George but did not attempt to pass him on the bend. Instead, he bided his
                                            time behind George, and as they hit the straight, Ed moved to the outside and
                                             sprinted past George with a burst of speed.

                                              “When Ed handed over the baton to Wendell, the Trinidad and Tobago team had
                                               at least ten yards on the Jamaican team.”

                                                The rest is history, anchorman Mottley motoring his way round the track to
                                                hand the T&T quartet—Lennox Yearwood, Bernard, Roberts and Mottley
                                                 —gold in a world record time of 3:02.8.

                                                  Mottley, Bernard et al proved to be a hard 400 act to follow. Individually,
                                                   Joseph held his own through the 1970s, Mike Solomon and Joseph
                                                   Coombs were sixth and eighth, respectively in the 1980 Olympic one-lap
                                                    final, and Paul was seventh in the 1983 World Championship final.

                                                     Morris made his mark at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, finishing
                                                      seventh and fourth, missing out on bronze in ’92 by a hair’s breadth.
                                                      Neil De Silva, Alvin Daniel, Patrick Delice, Renny Quow and Ato Modibo
                                                       were among those carrying the 400 flag in the 1990s and 2000s,
                                                        Quow grabbing seventh spot in the 2008 Olympic final.

                                                         The big breakthrough came in 2012, Gordon bagging bronze at the
                                                          London Games. Like Mottley, in 1964, Gordon also got onto the
                                                          4x4 podium, combining with Jarrin Solomon, the son of 1980
                                                           400m finalist Mike Solomon, Ade Alleyne-Forte and the late
                                                           Deon Lendore for bronze.

                                                             Cedenio came close to emulating Gordon, the fast-finishing
                                                             southerner claiming fourth spot in the 2016 Olympic final in a
                                                              national record time of 44.01 seconds.

                                                               Solomon, Richards, Cedenio and Gordon captured the
                                                                World Championship 4x4 title for T&T in 2017, a superb
                                                                anchor leg effort from Gordon silencing the mighty
                                                                 Americans. Two years later, at the World Relays, Lendore,
                                                                 Richards, Asa Guevara and Cedenio were triumphant,
                                                                  anchorman Cedenio’s “finish for the ages” putting to
                                                                   death American dreams of a World Relays 4x4
                                                                   beaver-trick.

                                                                     Richards will make his bid for individual Olympic
                                                                     glory at the 2024 Paris Games. Like Roberts in his
                                                                      heyday, “The Dream” is world class in both the 400
                                                                      and 200. “Richards would challenge for a medal in
                                                                       the 400,” says Roberts. “Either way he could
                                                                        challenge, but he has to make up his mind which
                                                                        one, and concentrate on that.”






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