Athletics reign supreme at 2017 First Citizens Sports Awards

SHERDON PIERRE

ATHLETICS RAN away with the top Senior and Junior First Citizens Sports Foundation awards as Jereem Richards and Michelle-Lee Ahye captured the Senior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year 2017 respectively whilst Adell Colthrust (male) and Ianna Roach (female) were the recipients of the Junior awards on Saturday evening at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.

This was the third consecutive year that athletics claimed both awards in the senior category. The 24-year-old Richards had an exceptional 2017 by taking the bronze medal in the men`s 200 metre final as well as was an epic second leg of the victorious men’s 4x400-metre relay team at the IAAF World Championships in London, England.

Collecting on his behalf was his sister Brittney and she said, “It was an extremely proud moment for the entire family, Jereem has been working really hard for a number of years so to actually see him reaping the benefits of all his hard work is really inspiring.

“This will mean a lot to him because First Citizens Sports Foundation award is not only athletics but all the sporting disciplines.”

She left him with some words of advice, “Stay humble, despite all the successes, and remember to keep your feet on the ground.”

Ahye was represented by her mother Raquel who mentioned, “I admire her, she has guts, she doesn’t give up and she keeps going. This is a different feeling all over again, every year I’m proud of her because she works hard.”

A tearful Raquel stressed, “Please stop bashing our athletes! It is not nice; I recently saw how hard my daughter trains even in snow and fog so please stop it.”

TT`s speed queen Ahye, achieved a sixth-place finish in the 100-metre World Championships 2017 final and a new national record of 10.82 seconds in the same distance at the National Championships held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Roach captured gold in the girls Under-18 shot put at last year`s CARIFTA Games in Curacao. She narrowly missed out on a medal at Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau when she placed fourth.

An overjoyed Roach proclaimed, “Everything happens for a reason and everything brought me to this point so I`m thankful. I feel very excited because this is a very prestigious award in TT.”

She admitted, “2017 was challenging, I had a lot going with school and training but it was very rewarding.” Colthrust acknowledged the persons responsible for his great year. “I dedicate this to my mother, coaches and everyone whole helped me throughout the year. This means everything to me, hard work does pay off. This gives me inspiration to work even harder.” Colthrust copped gold medals in 100 metre in the CARIFTA and Commonwealth Youth Games.

The Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award is given to a National Governing Sports Body that has outstandingly showcased initiatives, and made significant improvements in its administration and towards the development of its athletes.

In the smaller category the Trinidad and Tobago Archery Federation (TTAF) was adjudged the winner, over the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU). The National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) got the nod ahead of Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board (TTHB) in the large category.

The Lystra Lewis award is for any individual, team or group whose performance has impacted significantly on the national sport landscape. The adjudged winner was the victorious 2017 World Championships men`s 4x400 metre relay team.

They claimed the award over the TT Women`s volleyball team, who were the first team from this region to qualify for a World Championship, and the TT Men`s hockey team, who qualifying for the 2018 World Indoor Championship.

This year, being the 55th edition, saw for the first time a joint function for both the junior and senior categories. Overall, there were 96 athletes (25 women, 26 men, 17 girls, 24 boys and four Special Olympic athletes).

First Citizens Sports Foundation chairman Dr Keith Clifford and First Citizens Bank Group Chief Executive Officer Karen Darbasie delivered speeches. Among the dignitaries in attendance were the Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts and acting Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Mayor of Port of Spain Joel Martinez.

Top 10 Junior Athletes: Adell Colthrust (athletics), Jeron Thompson (swimming), Xavier Jones (judo), Nickell Joseph (boxing), Joshua Johnson (chess), Gabriela Donahue (swimming), Ianna Roach (athletics), Gabriella Johnson (chess), Rachel Grosberg (triathlon), Yeji Lee (golf).

Top 10 Senior Athletes: Quincy Alexander (cycling), Akeem Stewart (paralympics), Nigel Paul (boxing), Jereem Richards (athletics), Dylan Carter (swimming), Michelle-Lee Ahye (athletics), Merissa Aguillera (cricket), Amira Pilgrim (swimming), Nyoshia Cain (paralympics), Megan Lawrence (taekwondo).