Jereem Richards, national athletes on school tour to inspire youths

JEREEM Richards and other Trinidad and Tobago track and field athletes continued their school tour on Wednesday, this time in Port of Spain, urging students to not let obstacles get in the way of fulfilling their dreams, as athletes also had hurdles in life to jump over.

Richards is a TT Olympian who specialises in the men’s 200-metre event. He is a two-time Commonwealth gold medallist in the 200m event and was part of the TT quartet which won gold in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2019 World Relays in Japan.

Richards, who grew up in Point Fortin, visited schools in his home town on Tuesday, including Holy Name Convent, Point Fortin West Secondary and Point Fortin East Secondary.

Joining Richards on Tuesday was national long-jump record-holder Andwuelle Wright, who is Tobagonian.

On Wednesday, Richards spent time with students from Diego Martin North Secondary, Tranquillity Government Secondary and Belmont Secondary School.

Footballers, netballers and track and field athletes of Tranquillity took advice from Richards, along with TT women’s athlete Reyare Thomas and motivational speaker Sheldon Mason, who is also a wellness educator at the North West Regional Health Authority.

At the interactive session, the students asked the athletes questions about their careers. A few lucky students won small prizes for answering questions correctly.

“I have always wanted to be a professional athlete. I was never the fastest person in TT and I always worked hard towards my goal,” Richards said. “I did not lose focus in what I was trying to do. There were times I felt like giving up. I did not give up, I continued to work.”

He told the students at times they would doubt themselves and others would discourage them, but they must always stay motivated.

“I always kept the end goal in my mind. I have gotten every single medal possible to get, except an Olympic medal. That is the only medal I have never won. My dream is to get an Olympic medal.”

In an interview with Newsday after the interaction at Tranquillity, Richards said he wanted to reach out to youngsters, as it was an opportunity he didn’t have when he was a student at Vessigny Secondary School.

“I decided to do the school tour because I felt like the younger generation of athletes need to have some kind of motivation, and have someone who can give them a clear path on how to use sport as a vehicle to get scholarships and eventually turn it into a profession.

“I did not have that opportunity, and I just had to figure it out for myself. I have seen a lot of talented athletes, even(some who were) more talented than me, not have the right guidance and did not know specifically what to do after they were done with school, and (as a result they) lost out on opportunities.”

Thomas, a 100m and 200m sprinter who copped bronze in the 4x100m event at the 2015 World Championships, said track and field gave her a chance to earn an education.

“We knew that track and field was our way out. We did not want to become a product of our environment...For me, I did track and field for an education. My mindset was, my legs will pay for my education.”

Thomas was able to study in the US, completing a Bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. “My parents did not (have to) pull out one cent to pay for anything.”

Thomas said sport also helped her cope with the death of her mother in 2022.

“I was over track and field. However, my mom passed last year. I had a lot of anger issues, because it’s like you lost the person closest to you, so I had to find a way to deal with it.”

She returned to training with Abilene Wildcats in Arima and was selected on the TT team for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.