TRINIDAD and Tobago Olympic swimmer Cherelle Thompson hung up her goggles and swim cap on July 14, bringing an end to her decorated 28-year career.
Thompson, 32, swam her final race, an exhibition 50m freestyle, in front of a bumper crowd of family, friends and fellow swimmers at the National Age Group Short Course Championships at the Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, on Sunday.
Despite unofficially closing off her career at last month’s Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation Championships in Mexico, where she was unsuccessful in her final bid to seal a spot at the Paris Olympics, Thompson wanted one last hurrah in front of her home fans and friends.
She previously retired in 2017 after some “disappointment in 2016” but was mentored back into the sport. If it weren’t for this handful of people, Thompson would have never achieved her dream of gaining Olympic qualification at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Looking back on her athletic journey, Thompson celebrated her success but also recognised the challenges faced, which also played integral roles in improving her tenacity both as an athlete and personally.
“By God’s grace I was able to qualify for Tokyo and then I decided before I retired, I wanted to go again and qualify for Paris. I gave and gained all I could to the sport. I had hoped that my career would have ended in Paris but that wasn’t meant to be,” she said.
“Even as I was processing that disappointment I decided that one thing that was missing from me from that last swim I had in Mexico, was having close friends and family around me to share that last moment.”
Thompson was not officially entered as a participant at the Short Course Champs but wanted to swim away from her athletic career at home in Trinidad. On her exhibition swim on July 12, Thompson said it would be a performance on emotion and gratitude.
“It will also serve as an example to normalise celebrating the journey and not just the destination. Celebrating the relationships and people who have sacrificed with and for you, and been there to help you achieve your goals.”
[caption id="attachment_1096326" align="alignnone" width="683"] Olympic swimmer Cherelle Thomspon. - Newsday File Photo[/caption]
Thompson confirmed she remains committed to helping younger athletes succeed in the sport and will not float away from her passion.
“I’m just switching roles, just taking off my athletic hat and continuing to give back through mentorship. I’m also looking to launch an NGO that I founded in the latter half of this year,” she added.
From learning to swim in kindergarten to making the national team, transitioning from community college in Trinidad to the University of Tennessee in the US, to the highlight of her career in Tokyo, looking back, Thompson expressed satisfaction.
In 2010, she won First Citizens Bank Sports Foundation Junior Sportswoman of the Year.
Four years later, she earned bronze at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships women’s 200m freestyle relay, was an NCAA Championships finalist (fifth) i
