Olympic heroes due MondayBy WALTER ALIBEY Tuesday, September 2 2008
TRINIDAD and Tobago Olympic silver medallists are being brought back home by Government next week for a four-day period of acknowledgement and celebrations.
The athletes comprise the Trinidad and Tobago 4x100 metres relay team, made up of Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Aaron Armstrong, Marc Burns, Darrel Brown and Richard Thompson.
Thompson is also a silver medallist in the 100 metres beaten only by triple world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Their return has been set for Monday (September 8) on BW 447 arriving at Piarco International Airport from neighbouring Barbados at 10 am.
The runners who brought pride and joy to their countrymen will be presented with the nation’s second highest award The Chaconia Gold Medal given for “Long and Meritorious Service to Trinidad and Tobago in the sphere of Sport.”
The awards will be pinned on their coats by President George Maxwell Richards on Tuesday at a special function starting at 1.30 pm at President’s House in St Ann’s.
The other 40 recepients of national Awards got their medals on Sunday (Independence Day) in a nationally televised event. The only other sportsman to be honoured was Tobagonian golfer Carlos “Sexy” Baynes.
On their return home on Monday, the Beijing Olympians will be greeted by friends, families and well-wishers, as well as Government ministers.
They will be whisked away for lunch and then participate in a motorcade along the Eastern Main Road from Arouca to Port-of-Spain where a function will be staged in their honour from 4.30 pm
Two of the six-member relay team — Callender and Bledman — were initially expected in yesterday but their travel arrangements were changed to accommodate the arrival of the other members to facilitate the celebrations organised by Government.
A media conference will also be held on Tuesday (September 9) at a venue to be announced at 10 am after which the athletes will be ushered to the President’s House to receive their awards.
In addition to the silver medal which the team got in the relay final at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in the Chinese capital, American college champion Thompson also secured silver in the 100 metres final, while Burns finished seventh.
Thompson produced a personal best time of 9.83 seconds in the final dash won by Jamaican phenom Bolt in a world record time of 9.69 seconds.
