Olympic swimmer Cherelle Thompson calls time on 28-year career

TRINIDAD and Tobago Olympic swimmer Cherelle Thompson hung up her goggles and swim cap on July 14, bringing an end to her decorated 28-year career.

Thompson, 32, swam her final race, an exhibition 50m freestyle, in front of a bumper crowd of family, friends and fellow swimmers at the National Age Group Short Course Championships at the Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, on Sunday.

Despite unofficially closing off her career at last month’s Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation Championships in Mexico, where she was unsuccessful in her final bid to seal a spot at the Paris Olympics, Thompson wanted one last hurrah in front of her home fans and friends.

She previously retired in 2017 after some “disappointment in 2016” but was mentored back into the sport. If it weren’t for this handful of people, Thompson would have never achieved her dream of gaining Olympic qualification at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Looking back on her athletic journey, Thompson celebrated her success but also recognised the challenges faced, which also played integral roles in improving her tenacity both as an athlete and personally.

“By God’s grace I was able to qualify for Tokyo and then I decided before I retired, I wanted to go again and qualify for Paris. I gave and gained all I could to the sport. I had hoped that my career would have ended in Paris but that wasn’t meant to be,” she said.

“Even as I was processing that disappointment I decided that one thing that was missing from me from that last swim I had in Mexico, was having close friends and family around me to share that last moment.”

Thompson was not officially entered as a participant at the Short Course Champs but wanted to swim away from her athletic career at home in Trinidad. On her exhibition swim on July 12, Thompson said it would be a performance on emotion and gratitude.

“It will also serve as an example to normalise celebrating the journey and not just the destination. Celebrating the relationships and people who have sacrificed with and for you, and been there to help you achieve your goals.”

Thompson confirmed she remains committed to helping younger athletes succeed in the sport and will not float away from her passion.

“I’m just switching roles, just taking off my athletic hat and continuing to give back through mentorship. I’m also looking to launch an NGO that I founded in the latter half of this year,” she added.

From learning to swim in kindergarten to making the national team, transitioning from community college in Trinidad to the University of Tennessee in the US, to the highlight of her career in Tokyo, looking back, Thompson expressed satisfaction.

In 2010, she won First Citizens Bank Sports Foundation Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

Four years later, she earned bronze at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships women’s 200m freestyle relay, was an NCAA Championships finalist (fifth) in the women’s 200m free and made the All SEC Team.

In 2015, Thompson earned silver in the SEC Champions women’s 200m freestyle. She also competed at the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea and earned the national 50m free short course record later that year.

One year later, she qualified for the Tokyo Games, and in 2022 was a semi-finalist in the 50m free at the Commonwealth Games. In 2013, she splashed to Central American and Caribbean 50m bronze.

“Those successes were really joyful but they would not have been as sweet as they were without the backdrop oof some of the lows I had. Because of disappointment, frustration and difficulty I experienced, from a severe shoulder injury to financial limitations to balancing athletic and academic demands at different points.

“At one time I would have gone through a set of experiences kind of mindlessly, waiting for the time to pass and looking holding on to hope that things get better. But over the years, through mentorship that I received, I’ve been able to adopt a perceptive of learning how to extract lessons and move forward from those low points with much more wisdom and clarity. It’s been quite a journey.”

She thanked every coach who helped nurture and develop her talent over the years and heaped praise on TT Olympic bronze medallist swimmer George Bovell III, two-time TT Olympic swimmer Sharntelle McLean, three-time Olympic sailor Andrew Lewis and Leiseth Chambers for their immense personal contributions behind the scenes.

Thompson completed her bachelor's in kinesiology and with a minor in nutrition at the University of Tennessee then did some pre-med subjects, goal-bound on moving on to medical school.

She’s already completed three years at UWI in Mt Hope and will be resuming in September to be part of the 2026 graduating class.

When asked what advice she would give to younger swimmers coming up the ranks, Thompson said to “give it your all because each opportunity is a gift”.

She closed by saying, “They will know when it’s their time to give all they could. But while giving your all towards medals and trophies, put energy towards cherishing the things that will last beyond your time as an athlete, like relationships.

“They’re beyond medals and titles. Being somebody who is successful is one thing, but it doesn’t matter much if you’re celebrating on your own. You also have to live meaningfully to make a difference.”