Taking flight: Carifta star Christopher Sammy eyes aviation career

Fifteen-year-old Queen's Royal College student Christopher Sammy is still on cloud nine following a dream debut at the Carifta Games on home soil.

Less than two weeks ago, Sammy pulled out celebrations popularised by NBA star James Harden and football star Cole Palmer, as he surged to a pair of gold medals in the boys' under-17 1,500m and 3,000m events at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Sammy's execution, skill and endurance on the track were all impressive, but his achievements were perhaps magnified as the youngster backed up his talk to lead TT to a one-two finish in a thrilling 3,000m final on April 20 – edging teammate Armani Dillon to the silver medal. It was a result Sammy had predicted the previous day.

In a post-race interview which has since gone viral, Sammy gave an insight into his strategy in middle-distance races.

"That was really my plan. If they go out fast, I can still run back on them," Sammy said. "The plan was really to rock from behind and 'buss it' on the last lap. That's what I did and I feel great."

Biding his time and using his sprint power in the latter stages of races has worked like a charm for Sammy thus far, and he intends to stick with the strategy.

A Form 4 student, Sammy is eager to take flight as he pursues a career in aviation. He's fascinated by aeronautical engineering and the ability to fly around the world and make memories which will last a lifetime. He has chosen to do subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Add Maths, Geography and TD engineering to help with this goal, and balances his studies with an intense training schedule which sees him putting in the hard yards alongside his Pace and Performance Factory Multi-sports Club (formerly One-A-Week Multi-sports Club) on a daily basis.

"Doing these subjects are just for me to get a good foundation if I want to go into engineering or aviation. Originally, I wanted to do law, but I just thought I would enjoy doing the aeronautical engineering more," Sammy told Newsday, during an interview at QRC on April 29.

Sammy joined coach Derrick Simon and the Pace and Performance team at the start of 2024, with his focus initially placed on the 5,000m and 10,000m events. Long before he started dreaming about Carifta's bright lights, Sammy earned his endurance and long-distance stripes as a triathlete, while he was also among the top 100 chess players in the country.

Five years ago, Sammy said triathlon was his main sport. However, with frequent early-morning sessions becoming a part of his regular training schedule, the Diego Martin resident gradually gravitated towards more track events. Sammy still competes in swim meets for QRC and does the odd duathlon and triathlon, but the middle-distance track events have become his new love.

And after his Carifta showing, Sammy believes the sky's now the limit for him if he continues to grow in the sport.

"From running triathlon, it really just helped to develop my strategy and mentality to push myself and run smarter and just tuck in when I have to – knowing when to pick up the pace," Sammy said.

"It really just helped me to remain calm while I'm running, because in triathlon I was always under pressure. In track and field, I'm still under pressure, but it's a different kind of pressure I can more easily withstand and be more comfortable in that state of discomfort while I'm running.

"I was at the top in triathlon, but I realised I couldn't progress further unless I really started to get into swimming and riding more...track and field was more fun and I was better at it."

A year ago, Sammy had what can now be described as modest ambitions – he wanted to make his Carifta debut in the 3,000m event and represent the country before his adoring family who is always in his corner. With coach Simon instilling confidence in him after his showing in the 1,500m at this year's Carifta trials, Sammy went beyond his expectations as he contributed two gold medals to TT's 25-medal haul.

"It feels like I'm living in a dream, going from Carifta to the Penn Relays," said Sammy, who was a member of QRC's 4x400m relay team which competed at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia from April 24-26.

"At first, I was just doing track and field as something to put on my resume. After Carifta trials, I realised this is something I could actually go for if I set my mind to it and do my best. That's how it came out in Carifta."

In the coming months, Sammy is aiming towards achieving qualifying standards for this year's NACAC and Pan American junior competitions. However, he's not losing sight of his main goal.

"If I can get into track and field as a career, that would be great too. But my main focus is to get a scholarship, be able to study and all those things."

With an increasingly busy schedule, Sammy enjoys his free time like any other teenager. He loves spending time and travelling with family, food (sushi), playing video games and getting in a good sleep when he can.

Of course, when he's wide awake, Sammy is proving to be a middle-distance menace on the track and could prove to be a key cog for TT's track and field team for Carifta 2026 and beyond.