[UPDATED] Prime Minister, Laura Pierre congratulate Jereem on Olympic 400-metre fourth place

THE Prime Minister and TT’s first female Olympian Laura Pierre congratulated TT quarter-miler Jereem Richards on his credible fourth-place finish in the Olympic men’s 400-metre final in Paris on August 7.

Richards agonisingly missed out on his first Olympic podium place after missing out on bronze by four hundredths of a second at the Stade de France.

He clocked a new national record, personal best and season’s best time of 43.78 seconds.

Richards shared a mixture of feelings after the race as he was happy to still deliver an amazing performance, but was a bit disappointed that he could not make it into the top three.

In a Facebook post on August 8, Dr Rowley said, “There was no medal Jereem. Yes there is disappointment but against a belief that on the occasion you gave of your best. That’s the most we can ask of each other. You represented us with your best. Thank you.”

Also sending words of support to Richards was Pierre, who competed in the women’s 200m at the 1972 Games.

“Jereem had an awesome strategy for running the 400m. Congratulations to him for his 100 per cent effort." Pierre is glad that Richards can focus solely on athletics. "He began a new career of athletes whose job is running only and not having to seek employment to maintain training and resources in order to reach the world’s podium.”

In a post-race interview, Richards shared his feeling.

“In good times all praise to God, in bad times all praise to God. It definitely means a lot to me. I am able because God is able. It was so close. It was so close.

"It is what it is, but it hurts to work so hard and not come home with a medal.” (With reporting by Jelani Beckles).

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE Prime Minister has congratulated Trinidad and Tobago quarter-miler Jereem Richards on his credible fourth-place finish in the Olympic men’s 400-metre final in Paris on August 7.

Richards agonisingly missed out on his first Olympic podium place after missing out on bronze by four hundredths of a second at the Stade de France.

He clocked a new national record, personal best and season’s best time of 43.78 seconds.

Richards shared a mixture of feelings after the race as he was happy to still deliver an amazing performance, but was a bit disappointed that he could not make it into the top three.

In a Facebook post on August 8, Dr Rowley said, “There was no medal Jereem. Yes there is disappointment but against a belief that on the occasion you gave of your best. That’s the most we can ask of each other. You represented us with your best. Thank you.”

In a post-race interview, Richards shared his feeling.

“In good times all praise to God, in bad times all praise to God. It definitely means a lot to me. I am able because God is able. It was so close. It was so close.

"It is what it is, but it hurts to work so hard and not come home with a medal,” Richards said.