AS THOUGH travelling through a time machine, Richard Thompson, Marc Burns, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender and Aaron Armstrong last Tuesday, finally received their just deserts.
Fourteen years after they ran the race, they received the gold medals they should have received for their electric performance in the men’s 4x100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The TT team graciously took home silver back then, not knowing that the “winners”, team Jamaica, would later be disqualified due to drug doping.
The brief reallocation ceremony at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, was a scaled back and understated affair when compared with the pomp and splendour that normally accompany any edition of the Olympic games, including the spectacle that transpired at the famous Bird’s Nest stadium in 2008.
IOC president Thomas Bach spoke, saying he knew the TT athletes would have liked to experience such a special moment at the original games. The athletes were introduced, brought on stage and given their medals. Then, they were presented with flowers. The national anthem was played. Pictures were taken with the TT flag. That was it.
But the scale of the event should not dwarf the achievement.
The performance of the 2008 relay team now stands alongside that of Hasely Crawford’s 100m run to the podium at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and Keshorn Walcott’s historic javelin throw at the 2012 London Olympics.
Of course, there have also been many other proud moments at the games for this country, which has bagged 19 medals (three gold, five silver and 11 bronze). Weightlifter Rodney Wilkes got the ball rolling with his silver medal position at the 1948 London games. The most recent medal was courtesy Mr Walcott, who earned bronze in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro.
However, it is worth noting the Olympics are not just about medals, but also about courage, national pride, representation and camaraderie among competitors.
Tyra Gittens gave an electric showing at the Tokyo Olympics, held last year, in which she made it to the finals of the women’s long jump. And Njisane Phillip inspired a whole new generation of cyclists with his showing at the 2012 London games.
But on Tuesday, the relay team received their medals in a changed world.
There are questions over whether the prestige of the Olympics has fallen. Drug scandals have all too often rendered the notion of fair competition among athletes a farce and robbed athletes of a chance to shine.
The covid19 pandemic also disrupted sports, eliminating the sense of spectacle by removing live audiences, interrupting the routines of sportswomen and men, and shifting priorities.
Still, all our Olympians remain inspiring reminders of this country’s capacity to punch above its weight on the global stage. Such reminders are needed now more than ever.
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