2-time Rainbow Cup champ ready to try new sports

Triathlete Jon Michael Abraham loves riding and fishing with his family.

Abraham is a two-time Rainbow Cup champion, but is not limiting himself to one sport as he is eager to attempt others when he enters secondary school in September.

Abraham, 11, is preparing to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment. He lives in Carenage and is a student at Dunross Preparatory School in Westmoorings.

“I like riding and winning the most by far,” Abraham told Newsday Kids.

In triathlon, athletes must complete a swim leg, a ride and a run.

Abraham said he needs to improve in one of the events.

“My weakest event is swimming and I think I need to swim more.”

He's been trying to stay active during the covid19 pandemic.

“I have been doing running and riding but I had to stop riding for now, because SEA is coming up soon. I don’t train by myself, but sometimes I go in the road and play.”

Abraham knows what school he wants to attend and is aware of the school’s sporting history.

“I would like to go to Fatima (College) because a lot of people who are big in sports went there and because it’s a good school and it also has other sports for me to try out.”

Abraham wants to play football and rugby at Fatima. In football, he wants to play as a winger because he is fast.

Asked to name a famous athlete who attended Fatima, Abraham said legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara.

Former track and field star Ato Boldon is another ex-student of Fatima.

Like most children, Abraham is anxious to return to school.

“I prefer normal in-person school by a lot because I get distracted very easily online.”

Abraham said winning the Rainbow Cup was special.

“My most memorable moments in the sport are when I won Rainbow Cup twice.”

Abraham won gold in the seven-nine age group division in back-to-back years, 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, a mishap by three athletes who were ahead of Abraham helped him win the gold medal. After completing the swim and the ride, the three athletes leading the race did not complete the distance they were required to run. That mistake benefited Abraham, who placed first in his age group.

He followed up with another gold medal in 2019.

Unfortunately, the pandemic did not allow Abraham to compete for a hat-trick of titles, as the 2020 Rainbow Cup was cancelled.

The Rainbow Cup, an annual event held in Tobago, serves as TT’s national triathlon championships. Athletes of all ages from around the Caribbean and the world travel to Tobago for the event.

One of Abraham’s other top performances came at the 2019 TT Triathlon Federation Primary Schools Triathlon meet. In the youth eight-nine category, he placed second overall.

He has a close relationship with his family and they enjoy being out on the water.

“I like to fish and I like to play frisbee, which we do at running (practice) on Fridays. I like to fish because it’s fun. My dad is a commercial fisherman.”

Abraham once caught a 20-pound fish.