Olympian Deon Lendore killed in Texas car crash

Three-time Trinidad and Tobago Olympian Deon Lendore, 29, was killed in a car accident in Texas on Monday night.

TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis confirmed Lendore’s passing. Sources close to the athlete said he was scheduled to return to TT next week.

Although details of the accident remain sketchy, his fans and teammates have flooded social media with tributes celebrating the life and achievements of the national quarter-miler.

Lendore competed at three Olympic Games – London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and at the Tokyo Games last year.

His excellence on track did not go unnoticed and he was honoured with a national award - Hummingbird Gold.

On debut in London, Lendore and compatriots Jarrin Solomon, Ade Alleyne-Forte and Lalonde Gordon powered to bronze in two minutes, 59.40 seconds (2:59.40).

He also earned three bronze medals at the World Indoor Championships. In Portland, USA in 2016, he placed third in the men’s 400m and 4x400m events.

Two years later, he repeated the feat in the 400m event at the Birmingham, United Kingdom leg. Also in 2018, he just missed out on a medal at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, after placing fourth.

The next year, Lendore was also part of the historic 4x400 men who won gold at the World Relays in Yokohama, Japan in 3:00.81.