Sprint star Jereem gets $250k boost in elite athlete funding

ACE Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Jereem Richards has received Elite Athlete Assistance Programme (EAAP) funding to the tune of $250,000 as he prepares for meets such as the NGC/National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAATT) Open Championships and the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo, Japan.

The NGC/NAAATT national championships will be held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, from August 2-3, with the World Athletics Championships being held from September 13-21.

On July 30, via social media, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs expressed its delight at offering funding to Richards, who was presented with a cheque by the ministry's permanent secretary Beverly Reid-Samuel.

"This funding, provided under the EAAP, provides direct financial support to our high-performance athletes who represent TT in regional and international competition," the ministry's social media post said.

"This funding will assist Jereem in covering training expenses, travel costs and other necessary resources to compete at the highest level. By investing in our athletes, we're securing a legacy of excellence, performance and national pride within TT and on the world stage."

The 31-year-old Richards, a World Indoor champ over 400 metres in 2022, will certainly be one of TT's medal hopefuls at the World Champs in Tokyo. Thus far this season, Richards has clocked a season's best of 19.86 seconds in the 200m and 44.32 in the 400m. Both of Richards' season best times came at the Grand Slam Track event in Florida in May.

Richards currently has a world ranking of ninth in the 400m event and is ranked tenth in the 200m. He has already qualified for both the 200m and 400m events at the World Champs and is scheduled to line up in heat one of the men's 200m event at the NGC/NAAATT Open Championships on August 3.

Under the EAAP, athletes ranked in the top ten in the world qualify for the maximum allocation of $250,000, with athletes ranked 11th-40th in the world benefiting up to $187,500, which is 75 per cent of the maximum sum.

At last year's Paris Olympics, Richards narrowly missed out on a medal when he placed fourth in the men's 400m final in a national record of 43.78.