By Roneil Walcott

Copyright newsday

In the wake of the breathtaking performances by the pair of Keshorn Walcott and Jereem Richards at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, last week, the latter has made a call for more support to be given to the country’s athletes from the grassroots level straight to the international arena.

The 31-year-old Richards copped silver in the men’s 400-metre in the World Championships with a brilliant national-record run of 43.72 seconds, with his Tokyo roommate Walcott winning the men’s javelin event with a series of strong throws which included his victorious mark of 88.16 metres.

Four days after their countrymen locked into their TV screens to see athletic excellence, Richards and Walcott were celebrated on their return home at the VIP Lounge of the Piarco International Airport on September 22. And while Richards was appreciative of all the love and support which has come the pair’s way after their recent exploits, he said support from the early stages would prove even more meaningful in the long run.

‘Support athletes at local meets’

“Track and field needs support, not just financially. We appreciate each and every one who congratulates us and feel proud. Be proud in the stadium too when we’re competing locally too, please,” Richards said.

“We see the types of performances that come with a full crowd. I love to see the support fo

r football and cricket, but when it comes to track and field, we have national championships and we have local meets, and no one is there. The only people who come to these meets are the parents and friends of athletes or the athletes themselves,” he said.

TT’s team at the World Championships was not the biggest contingent by any means, as Richards and Walcott were joined by the pair of Leah Bertrand and Tyra Gittens-Spotsville to make a four-member team. Bertrand exited in the first round of the 100m and 200m events respectively, with Gittens-Spotsville placing 32nd overall in the women’s long jump event. With the efforts of Richards and Walcott, though, TT showed that quantity – or a lack of quantity – did not dictate their quality.

Out of 198 competing countries, TT finished 14th in the medal table.

“If we expect athletes to do well, it needs to start from home. We need to support and we need to come out and support these athletes. I think it’s very important. Yes, we celebrate all these medals, but we need groundwork. We need the people to come out here and support us because it’s really important for us as athletes to perform and to have that support to be part of our journey and our story.”

Richards, a 2022 400m World Indoor Champ, said he had to overcome self-doubt on his journey to copping his first World Championships outdoor individual medal since a bronze-medal finish in the 200m in the 2017 World Champs.

“It’s been a few difficult years. A few victories here. Track and field is a sport where we judge it by the standards of the World Championships and the Olympic Games. Every other medal is just a medal. For me, it’s been since 2017 that I got my last individual medal. As an athlete, it becomes very difficult to have renewed faith going into competition every time and leaving empty-handed, to reset and tell yourself you could do it.”

NAAA VP: Athletics can help society

National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAATT) first vice-president Paul Voisin echoed Richards’ sentiments of the need for more support for track and field at the grassroots level and said the sport needs the financial backing to not only produce world-class athletes, but to continue the development thrust.

“Our programmes aren’t only about medals. Our programmes are about youth development and eradicating social ills which we’re experiencing right now in those communities and schools. Sports is a discipline. If we use sports as a vehicle to instil that discipline into the students and the school system, they will be even more respectful to teachers and people in the community and whatnot,” Voisin told the media.

“We have to look at sports as part of the national security development programme. It’s not just about NAAA. NAAA is only a partner. It has the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the education curriculum. All of these have to buy into the projects so we’ll be able to see the fruit from it.”

Voisin’s comments come in the wake of reports that the NAAATT has lost its sponsorship with the National Gas Company (NGC), a partner which has supported the association’s youth programmes and the National Open Champs for many years.

“The NAAA board will be meeting next week to discuss moving forward in terms of the current situation. Most of our development programmes were sponsored by the NGC, the youth elite programmes and all these other programmes, plus our championships. It’s critical to us at this present time.

“However, we are making arrangements to meet with the Minister of Sport Phillip Watts and NGC to have a further discussion on how we are moving. And we’re open for other sponsorships at present, based on the current situation we’re experiencing.”

He said the NAAATT is committed to seeing the sport flourish in the long term.

“Keshorn Walcott’s 13 years of sacrifice didn’t come just like that. Jereem’s sacrifice didn’t come overnight. It was a long-term investment.”