Page 12 - Team TTO PARIS 2024

“I learnt a lot,” Roberts says of his 1962 experience. “I knew what I had to do.”

In his 2011 publication, Olympian, Basil Ince describes the 1966 third leg clash
between Roberts and Kerr.

“Ed, by this time, a more seasoned and experienced campaigner found himself
behind George but did not attempt to pass him on the bend. Instead, he bided his
time behind George, and as they hit the straight, Ed moved to the outside and
sprinted past George with a burst of speed.

“When Ed handed over the baton to Wendell, the Trinidad and Tobago team had
at least ten yards on the Jamaican team.”

The rest is history, anchorman Mottley motoring his way round the track to
hand the T&T quartet—Lennox Yearwood, Bernard, Roberts and Mottley
—gold in a world record time of 3:02.8.

Mottley, Bernard et al proved to be a hard 400 act to follow. Individually,
Joseph held his own through the 1970s, Mike Solomon and Joseph
Coombs were sixth and eighth, respectively in the 1980 Olympic one-lap
final, and Paul was seventh in the 1983 World Championship final.

Morris made his mark at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, finishing
seventh and fourth, missing out on bronze in ’92 by a hair’s breadth.
Neil De Silva, Alvin Daniel, Patrick Delice, Renny Quow and Ato Modibo
were among those carrying the 400 flag in the 1990s and 2000s,
Quow grabbing seventh spot in the 2008 Olympic final.

The big breakthrough came in 2012, Gordon bagging bronze at the
London Games. Like Mottley, in 1964, Gordon also got onto the
4x4 podium, combining with Jarrin Solomon, the son of 1980
400m finalist Mike Solomon, Ade Alleyne-Forte and the late
Deon Lendore for bronze.

Cedenio came close to emulating Gordon, the fast-finishing
southerner claiming fourth spot in the 2016 Olympic final in a
national record time of 44.01 seconds.

Solomon, Richards, Cedenio and Gordon captured the
World Championship 4x4 title for T&T in 2017, a superb
anchor leg effort from Gordon silencing the mighty
Americans. Two years later, at the World Relays, Lendore,
Richards, Asa Guevara and Cedenio were triumphant,
anchorman Cedenio’s “finish for the ages” putting to
death American dreams of a World Relays 4x4
beaver-trick.

Richards will make his bid for individual Olympic
glory at the 2024 Paris Games. Like Roberts in his
heyday, “The Dream” is world class in both the 400
and 200. “Richards would challenge for a medal in
the 400,” says Roberts. “Either way he could
challenge, but he has to make up his mind which
one, and concentrate on that.”

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