Page 18 - Team TTO PARIS 2024
P. 18

This country’s most successful
           female sprinter, Michelle-Lee Ahye
           is excited about heading to Paris
           for what looks like her Olympic
           swansong.

           “It’s always an honour to represent
           Trinidad and Tobagoand the
           Olympics is the biggest stage. It’s
           my fourth, and most likely my last
           so I want to go out positively and
           make it to the final in the 100m and the 4x100m.”

           Ahye was just 20 when she made her Olympic debut    In Paris, she will lead the relay team and line up alongside
           in London in 2012. “That first Olympics, I had so many   Akilah Lewis, Leah Bertrand and Sole Frederick. “I’m
           emotions, it was a lot,” she said. “But now, I treat each   hopeful for the relay team, you know in relays anything can
           race as just that – another race.” She also revealed   happen on the day, so you can’t discount anyone,”
           she didn’t always apply herself as a young athlete.  she said “I know Leah and Akilah well but I’ve never worked
                                                               with the twins (Sole and Sanaa Frederick) so I’m looking
           “I didn’t like to train, I didn’t take things as seriously as   forward.
           I should have but seeing how other athletes were
           training so hard and succeeding, I became inspired to   As she reflected on her career, she acknowledged the
           give my all.”                                       TTOC’s role in her success. Ahye has been awarded the
                                                               TTOC sportswoman of the year on several occasion, most
           She points to Rio 2016 where she reached the final in   recently in 2023. “The Olympic Committee has always
           both the 100m and 200m as her favourite Olympics    been in my corner. They have listened to me and
           Games. “I loved Rio, the energy was really good and there   I won’t forget their support in 2016 when I needed to do
           wasn’t any unnecessary stress. We had really good vibes   foot surgery and they helped with the costs.”
           on the team and the relay team got along very well.”
                                                               Her unrelenting hero however, is her mother Raquel who
           The 2018 Commonweath Games 100m champion has        she described as “awesome”. As an only child, this
           been quietly training in Trinidad for about a year. And   relationship has been a crucial pillar in her life.
           though she’s quite unassuming, she’s easily recognisable   “My mom has been there for me all the time. Through all
           by her fiery red dreadlocks and well-inked body. It’s   my ups and downs, I know I could count on her to be in
           therefore not unusual that people approach her to say   my corner. She is my biggest cheerleader.”
           hello and give their best wishes. “I’ve found that when I
           go to the grocery, for example, people have approached   Michelle-Lee Ahye sounds almost zen about the task that
           me and said how much they want me to succeed. They   lies ahead. “I’m happy about how life is going. I’ve been
           tell me to continue working hard and keep flying the flag.”  working on my mental health, I hope to stay healthy and
                                                               have a very successful end to my Olympic season.
           Although her training back home has been going well,
           she believes more needs to be done for locally-based   When pressed on whether 2024 will indeed be her last
           athletes. “Things have improved, but there’s still work to   Olympics, the Carenage girl responded, “I intend to
           be done,” she said. “Athletes need better facilities for   compete in the Worlds next year, but I want to get on with
           training and recovery, better support systems and there   starting a family and living life. I’ve done so much and it’s
           must be better communication between athletes and   time for the younger athletes to come through.”
           officials.”





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