Trinidad and Tobago's Dylan Carter placed fifth in the 50m butterfly final at the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, China on October 20.
Carter, 28, touched the wall simultaneously with Australian Matthew Temple. Both athletes were timed at 22.53 seconds and earned 899 points.
Taking the gold was new world record holders Noe Ponti of Switzerland, who clocked 21.68 seconds. In second place was Netherlands' Nyls Korstanje (22.00) followed by Germany's Marius Kusch (22.26).
Ponti broke the world record in the prelims with a sensational 21.67 performance to collect the US$10,000 bonus. The previous record was 21.75 shared by Nicholas Santos of Brazil and Szebasztian Szabo of Hungary.
It was the first world record set by a Swiss swimmer since 1985.
Carter, who won gold in the 50m freestyle on October 18, is currently ranked 12th overall. He was sixth in the 100m freestyle on October 19.
The Swimming World Cup makes its next stop in Incheon, South Korea, from October 24-26, before the finale swims off in Singapore (October 31-November 2). (Source: Newsday, October 20, 2024)

ACE Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Nicholas Paul earned his country's first gold medal at the 2024 Pan American Track Cycling Championships at the Velo Sports Centre in Los Angeles, California on April 4, competing in the men's keirin event.
On April 3, Trinidad and Tobago got their first medal of the games when endurance rider Akil Campbell grabbed bronze medal in the men's scratch final.
Campbell's compatriots added to Trinidad and Tobago's medal tally on the following day of competition as Paul topped the six-man keirin field, with fellow TT cyclist Kwesi Browne notching third spot to secure his team's third medal at the games.
Paul took a tactical approach as he started from the back of the pack, before using his world-record sprint speed to power past the field to claim gold. Colombian and reigning world keirin champ Kevin Quintero took the silver medal, while his countryman David Ortega was just pipped to a podium finish by Browne.
In the women's elimination race final on April 4, TT's Alexi Ramirez finished eighth, with USA's Jennifer Valente taking the gold medal. Colombia's Juliana Londono and Mexico's Yareli Acevedo placed second and third respectively.
In the women's sprint event, 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games medallist Makaira Wallace advanced to the 1/8 finals and ended the competition in 13th place, while Phoebe Sandy narrowly missed out on a spot in the 1/8 finals and finished 17th overall.
In the early session on April 5, Tariq Woods will take to the track in men's pursuit qualifying, Ramirez will contest the women's scratch omnium and the trio of Browne, Paul and Quincy will face the starter in men's sprint qualifying.
​ (Source: Newsday, April 5, 2024)

By the late Angelo Bissessarsingh. 
​The first organized cricket club in the island was formed in the late 1870s by a group of English colonial officers and planters. The Sovereign Cricket club membership eventually formed what was the genesis of the still-existing Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) in 1891. Five years later, the QPCC acquired the lease on lands which were to become the Queen’s Park Oval which is today one of the best cricketing arenas in the Caribbean. The ethnic composition of the QPCC came under fire in the 1890s. This was an era characterized by anti-colonial sentiments and heightened by the presence of several influential and vocal coloured men who spoke out against old and racially biased stratification of colonial society. One of these agitators in particular, Edgar Maresse-Smith, was pivotal in having Lebrun Constantine accepted into the QPCC as its first non-white member.
Lebrun Constantine was born in Maraval , a district barely a mile outside Trinidad’s capital city of Port-of-Spain on a cocoa plantation where his parents were workers. He worked on a cocoa estate as well in his youth and played cricket in matches held at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain where he quickly established a reputation for being a good batsman. At that time Cricket in Trinidad had not as yet taken on an organized front although one of the most distinguished icons of the game was born in the island.
Lebrun made history as well as being a regular on the Trinidad cricket team from as early as 1893-94. Inter-colonial cricket matches between Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica were then popular and Lebrun was a player in almost every meet after 1899. The first three tournaments were fielded with all-white teams. In 1894, Robert Slade made the first tour of the West Indies with an English cricket team, followed two years later by a team under Arthur Priestly. In the latter tour, the English side came up against an all-West Indian contingent that included Lebrun Constantine and lost. In 1900, R.S.A Warner (brother of Sir Pelham Warner) led the first West Indian touring team to England.
Although not accorded first class status, the West Indians played well. Once again, the lineup included Lebrun Constantine as a batsman and wicket keeper. His batting averages were second in the West Indies team, being 30 for 610. During this tour as well, Constantine made history by becoming the first West Indian to score a century (113 runs) against an English team. In 1906 another tour to England took place of which he was a member. This time he managed to be third in the batting averages. Of his performance in the 1906 tour, the following commentary was given;
"another of the brigade who proved himself very strong on the left side and can bat with power. He fields in the slips and can bowl right arm medium pace if required".
Aside from his prowess as a batsman and wicket keeper, Lebrun was also a fielder of note with his energy and accuracy coming in for high praise. Lebrun Constantine’s last match of his professional career was in a 1923 inter-colonial match against Barbados. This was a landmark event since also in the batting lineup was Lebrun’s son – Learie Nicholas Constantine (21 September 1901 – 1 July 1971) - who rose to become one of the greatest cricketers in history and was later knighted and in 1969 became the first black peer in the House of Lords as Baron Constantine of Maraval in Trinidad and the County Palatine in Lancaster. Another son, Elias (22 May 1912 – 22 May 2003) also became a cricketer of renown, and who played for the West Indies in test matches in the 1930s. Despite his pioneering career he was largely low-profile in his own homeland. Whilst touring with the first West Indian teams, he supported himself as a coachman in the employ of Madame Poleska de Boissiere. Lebrun occasionally made public statements on cricket in the local press but remained mostly private until he died in 1942. 
(Source: Angelo Bissessarsingh's Vitrual Museum of Trinidad & Tobago, September 21, 2023) 

​ this country’s first World boxing champion!!! Claude is now 74 years old!
Claude Noel (born 25 July 1948) in Roxborough, Tobago) is a former Tobagonian professional boxer.
Former 3 time Commonwealth and World Champion Claude Noel, 31-10, 15 KO’s, had a career span from 1973-1984.
His rise from selling fruit as a teenager to making waves in boxing is as simple and as recognizable as any outside of the Caribbean.
Noel’s fighting career began when at school he seemed to always be fighting with other boys. Because he was spotted at an early age, he was advised to get some lessons – he did and then channeled that aggression in a more positive direction.
Noel shot to world acclaim when he defeated Mexican Elgato Gonzales in 1982 for the World Title in the lightweight division. Following his victory, he was later honoured with the Chaconia Gold Medal and had a highway named after him in his native Tobago. Noel now resides in Trinidad.
He has been undergoing severe health challenges but is continuing to keep the fight.
For his last birthday, a post was dedicated to Claude celebrating his birthday on August 22nd, 1949 but was corrected by family as being July 25, 1948. The latter date is widely published online as the boxers birth date. (Source: Vitrual Museum of TT, July 26, 2022)

Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Richard Thompson and his 4x100 relay team-mates will receive a shared medal bonus of US$40,000 from the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) for ‘outstanding performance, effort and integrity’ after waiting 14 years to collect their upgraded gold medal from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Thompson, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Marc Burns and Aaron Armstrong are set to receive a total sum of US$40,000.
TTOC president Diane Henderson also announced that the TTOC and the T&T Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) will distribute medal bonuses to national and elite level athletes who achieved podium status during the Pan Am Juniors and the inaugural Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe.
“The long-overdue reward would be given to the relay team for their outstanding performance, effort and integrity after waiting 14 years to receive the upgrade,” Henderson said during a virtual media conference yesterday.
“It takes a great amount of dedication, sacrifice and discipline in the pursuit of excellence. The TTOC and the TTCGA prides itself in being athlete-centred. This is to ensure the athlete has the necessary support, financial and otherwise to achieve and sustain world-level performance that is required to achieve greatness,” Henderson continued.
She explained that the medal bonus programme was introduced in 2015 by former TTOC president Brian Lewis, with the initial being to reward individuals and team sports who achieve podium status at multi-sport games.
“The TTCO would like to provide medal bonus of US$40,000 to the recipients of that gold medal, in light of their performance and the time they had to wait, 14 years. The reward and recognition for such a performance is...to signify that effort and integrity that they displayed and the pride they brought to our nation,” Henderson added.
Thompson expressed his gratitude to the TTOC for showing appreciation for the achievement of the relay team.
“Over the years, there are so much of sacrifices that are made, physically, emotionally, mentally and also financially by us athletes each year. When we represent with pride and honour, we also represent with integrity,” said Thompson.
“At no point in time have we sold ourselves, our families or Trinidad and Tobago short. The fact that we are being acknowledged today, I think, speaks volumes of how the TTOC operates and it should encourage other organisations and corporate Trinidad as well to become more involved,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bledman expressed appreciation to the TTOC for recognising the team’s effort.
Also collecting bonuses yesterday were Kelsey Daniel and Tariq Horsford.
All the athletes who medalled in the Guadeloupe 2022 Caribbean Games are also set to receive bonuses for their achievements.
Henderson noted that the sum of the bonuses will ensure compliance with NCAA rules and regulations, in order to support athletes who are currently on scholarships in universities outside of T&T.
MEDAL BONUS AWARDEES:
Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games
Athletics:
Men’s 4x100m Relay Team (Medal Upgrade)
Keston Bledman
Marc Burns
Richard Thompson
Emmanuel Callender
Aaron Armstrong
2021 Cali Panam Sports Junior Games
Athletics:
Kelsey Daniel (Silver, Men’s Long Jump)
Tariq Horsford (Bronze, Men’s Javelin Throw)
Guadeloupe 2022 Caribbean Games
Athletics:
2 Gold (4x100m Women, Kion Benjamin Men’s 100m)
2 Silver (100m Women, Men’s 4x100m)
1 Bronze (Women’s 100m)
Swimming:
Gold: 3
Nikoli Blackman – Men’s 100m, 50m Freestyle
Ornella Walker – Women’s 100m Freestyle
Silver: 5
Ornella Walker - Women’s 100m Backstroke
Nikoli Blackman – Men’s 200m Freestyle
Mark-Anthony Beckles – Men’s 100m Butterfly
Jahmia Harley – Women’s 50m Backstroke
4X100m Medley Relay
Bronze: 3
Jahmia Harley – Women’s 100m Backstroke
Aqeel Joseph – Men’s 50m freestyle
Mark-Anthony Beckles – Men’s 50m Butterfly
Men’s Futsal Team (Bronze Medal)
Che Benny
Darnell Hospedales
Delaney Zamore
Elijah Shade
Isaiah Williams
Kalev Keil
Omri Baird
Zion Mc Leod
Josiah Joseph
(Source:  Daily Express, July 19, 2022)

Carnival goers will then don their costumes designed by Trinidadian Aaron Schneider and produced in Bali. Revellers will take to the road for the first Carnival inspired by The Greatest Show on Earth - Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, which leads into a las lap celebration scheduled to go till late in true Trini style. 
Bali Colour Festival which will run on the following day will host a special J'ouvert on the beach, followed by a Caribbean Soul Concert with a lineup of top Caribbean talents on the last day of the main activities. 
"It's been one of my dreams over the years to produce a carnival, and coming to Bali, I saw the potential to create not just a carnival event but an experience many other carnivals don't have in a destination people have on their bucket list. Bali Carnival would hugely boost Bali's tourism during their slower period," Auguste said via a press release.
With destination events becoming popular, Auguste is confident that Bali Carnival will secure its place in the carnival calendar, one that all carnival fans would not want to miss.
From steelpan to the cuisine of T&T and the Caribbean, this carnival experience promises to be a diverse and captivating affair.
To join the inaugural Carnival, visit their website www.balicarnival.com and follow their Instagram @balicarnvial for updates and packages.  (Source: The Loop, July 12, 2022)​

​Congratulations to the Trinidad and Tobago 2008 Olympic 4x100m CHAMPIONS!
Earlier today, the International Olympic Committee hosted the Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne Switzerland.
Trinidad and Tobago originally finished the race in 2nd place behind Jamaica, however, due a doping violation by one of the Jamaican athletes T&T was promoted to the Gold Medal position.
The team in running order:
Keston Bledman
Marc Burns
Emmanuel Callender
Richard Thompson
Aaron Armstrong ran the preliminary round in place of Emmanuel Callender!