SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Stefan Stuven will represent Trinidad and Tobago for the first time at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Mussanah Sports City, Oman, from December 11-18.
Stuven will compete in the men’s laser radial class. He was invited to participate as part of World Sailing’s Emerging Nations Programme (ENP).
The ENP aims to increase the number of sailors and member nation assemblies participating at the Youth Worlds, with a goal to narrow the performance gap and promote worldwide competition.
Stuven, alongside a small fleet of five other TT sailors, is currently being coached by TT’s three-time Olympic sailor Andrew Lewis twice per week. He has, however, opted to do additional training sessions by himself to ensure he stays in good form.
Initially, the ENP offers elite training by specialist coaches to potential sailors through an intense, hands-on five-day clinic. Young sailors are usually flown out to sailing locations and taught the fundamentals and advanced techniques by the sport’s top-flight coaches.
Owing to the pandemic, this year’s edition was done virtually and Stuven, alongside a host of young sailors from emerging sailing countries, took part.
He was then invited to another edition, this time an in-person session, in Oman from December 10.
After working out travel and other logistics with World Sailing, the TT Olympic Committee, TT Sailing Association (TTSA) and his parents, Stuven accepted the offer to go to Oman for the ENP and then make his international competitive debut at Youth Worlds.
“I feel quite excited for the experience because I’ve never competed at this level. Because of covid19, World Sailing held their ENP online this time. We had meetings once a month and the coaches would talk and explain the theories of sailing and we would interact and ask questions.
“That’s happened for over a few months. Coming to the end of it, the organiser of it asked me if I wanted to come and do an in-person ENP. I thought it was quite far to travel and there were a lot of technical challenges like that to overcome. But it’s been confirmed,” he said.
After the session, Stuven heads right into the world regatta.
His father Andreas, has always been an avid yachtsman. The St Mary’s College graduate, however, got into sailing at age seven after attending a holiday sailing camp hosted by the TTSA in 2011. Since his introduction, he’s never stopped sailing.
Stuven trains in Chaguaramas and previously worked with TTSA head instructor Stephen Phillip. Under his new coach Lewis, he is impressed by the Olympian’s work ethic.
“He’s (Lewis) very intense in his training. He trains at a very high level and tries to push everyone in the field. It’s not just me, it’s a fleet of us. He’s trying to get everybody to the highest possible level of training.


“He teaches us how to race, how to think tactically, being aware of our surroundings and not thinking only of what’s inside the boat but also outside, looking at the conditions, observing what everybody else is doing on the course and think ahead.
“It’s a very good experience to be dealing with a high-level person and three-time Olympian,” he added.
Stuven, however, has never competed in laser radial, not even at a national level. He started training for this class just before the pandemic hit in March last year.
He said it’s been very hard to train with the fluctuating restrictions and beaches being closed. He was grateful though that the TTSA secured an exemption for him to train at one location.
Looking ahead, he said, “I want to continue sailing after Youth Worlds. They’ve already set the date for Youth Worlds 2022 in July and I want to try to go again and maybe either get into college sailing in Canada and obviously the Olympics.
“Right now, I’m taking a year off to do some subjects I never took, like A’ Level Chemistry. After I get that, I’d like to go to a university where there’s a proper sailing programme, whether it be at UWI, Canada or even Germany.”
For the Youth Sailing World Championships, Mussanah is renowned for its high-quality sailing conditions all year round.
During December, temperatures are expected to be around 24°C on average, while the average wind strength is expected to be around 10-17 knots.
The 2020 Youth Worlds were scheduled to be held in Salvador, Brazil, in December 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. (Source: Newsday, November 1, 2021)

​TRINIDAD and Tobago basketballer Johnny Hamilton has been signed by NBA team Atlanta Hawks.
Reports said that Hamilton, 27, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Hawks.
Hamilton, who is seven feet tall, last played for EuroLeague club Fenerbahce and Adriatic Basketball Association club KK Mornar Bar during the 2020-2021 season.
Hamilton played for the Detroit Pistons G League team, Grand Rapids Drive, in the 2018-2019 season.
He has been signed to an Exhibit 10 contract which is a one-year, minimum salary deal that does not include the possibility of bonuses.
Source:  Newsday Aug 10, 2021

​TTO OLYMPIC cyclist Teniel Campbell on Monday captured stage six of the Tour de l’Ardeche while representing the Women’s World Team BikeExchange, her first victory since joining the Australia-based team.
Incredibly, the 23-year-old did so on a borrowed bike after her bike and 11 others, all belonging to Team BikeExchange, were stolen on the morning of the fifth stage. The race was initially at risk but for rival competitors coming to the rescue by sharing spare equipment.
Campbell finished the 138km race in three hours, 33 minutes and 58 seconds, in a 12-competitor breakaway sprint, ahead of runner-up Nina Kessler (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) and Lauretta Hansono (Trek-Segafredo).
Campbell also escaped a crash on the final stretch and was faster than Kessler and Hansono in the sprint. Campbell was later quoted on the team’s website, saying, “It’s extremely special to win today in so many ways.
After what transpired with the bikes yesterday, how everyone kept calm and found solutions instead of freaking out. How everyone remained motivated throughout what seemed at first chaotic! Is completely unreal.
“It was a complete team effort from the chef keeping our tummies happy to the staff working tirelessly last night to prepare the bikes, to my team-mates chasing the breakaway to help me launch on away on a 700m climb over to the breakaway.
“It hurt like hell but the trust from the team and how well we were working these last days really motivated me and gave me a drive and strong urge to get a stage victory here,” she said.
“Each day we came with a plan to give each other opportunities, constantly backing each other.
“From the start of today the adrenaline and motivation amongst us was really high so I believe everything just transcended and there was an energy flow.
She said she will cherish her first win and remember it for a long time.
Speaking with Newsday following her win on Monday, former national cyclist and four-time Olympian Gene Samuel, lauded Campbell for her aggressiveness and strength to win, especially doing so on an unfamiliar bike.
“She was not just sitting down in the race–she was attacking them, attacking them, trying to get away. It is commendable all the way through.
Samuel also thanked the clubs and their athletes for selflessly sharing their equipment with the BikeExchange cyclists. “That is the camaraderie outside in the world that we do not have in Trinidad. Some of them (opponents) jeopardising their own continuation in the race and that is commendable. I would like to say a special thank you to all of those who loaned them their bikes.
“What’s even more commendable is that she raced on a different bike. Riding a different bike for five or 15 miles, far less for 100-plus miles, is commendable, a fantastic achievement today.”
The Tour de l’Ardèche will end on Tuesday, five days ahead of the World Road Cycling Championships, which take place in Belgium.
It has been an impressively successful week for the Campbell family after her brother, Akil Campbell, won gold in track cycling on Friday night in the men’s elimination race at the UCI Tissot Track Cycling Nations Cup.
This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.
AFTER having her bike stolen overnight, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic cyclist Teniel Campbell captured gold during stage six of the Tour de l’Ardeche in Belgium on Monday using equipment she borrowed.
She represented the Women's World Team BikeExchange, earning her first victory since joining the Australia-based team.
Campbell finished the 138km race in three hours, 33 minutes and 58 seconds, in a 12-competitor breakaway sprint, ahead of runner-up Nina Kessler (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) and Lauretta Hansono (Trek-Segafredo).
But officials confirmed to Newsday that a number of the club's riders awoke on the morning of stage five to find 12 of their bikes had been stolen, putting their race at risk.
Fortunately, a number of rival competitors came to the rescue by sharing spare equipment.
Campbell escaped a crash on the final stretch and was faster than Kessler and Hanson in the sprint.
The Tour de l'Ardèche will end on Tuesday, five days ahead of the World Road Cycling Championships, which take place in Belgium.
It has otherwise been an impressively successful week for the Campbell family after her brother, Akil Campbell, won gold in track cycling on Friday night in the men's elimination race at the UCI Tissot Track Cycling Nations Cup. (Source: Newsday, September 13, 2021)

Michelle-Lee Ahye struck gold in the women’s 100 metres dash at the Meeting International de Sotteville, in France, yesterday. The Trinidad and Tobago track star stopped the clock at 11.25 seconds.
Ahye was the class of the field, leaving Kayla White and Natasha Morrison to battle for the runner-up spot. It was White who got the silver, the American crossing the line in 11.32 seconds. Morrison bagged bronze, the Jamaican clocking 11.36 to finish ahead of Gambia’s Gina Bass (11.40).
Ahye was also victorious two Wednesdays ago, at the Irena Szewinska Memorial meet in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the 29-year-old sprinter clocking 11.33 seconds. She was back on the track last Tuesday at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meet in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, finishing fifth in 11.09.
Ahye is preparing for the July 23 to August 8 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where she will compete in the 100m dash and the 4x100m relay.
Another T&T athlete fine-tuning for the Tokyo Games, Asa Guevara last competed on June 27 at the Jacksonville Athletic Club (JAC) Golden Southeast Classic in Florida, USA. Guevara, who is part of the T&T men’s 4x400m squad for the Olympics, won the men’s 400 in Florida in 46.98 seconds.
Reyare Thomas was also on show at the Golden Southeast Classic, the T&T sprinter finishing fifth in the women’s 100m final in 11.75 seconds. Thomas was second fastest in the qualifying round, getting home in a season’s best 11.49.
On Sunday, July 4, Hilenn James won the women’s shot put event at the Kolo Extraligy Muzu a Zen meet, in the Czech Republic, the T&T athlete throwing the iron ball 14.96 metres. James was fifth in the discus with a 44.31m effort.
​Source:  Daily Express, July 12, 2021

National cyclist Nicholas Paul cemented his place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after producing a tenth place finish at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday.
In the opening men’s sprint qualifier (flying 200m), Paul, who holds the world record (9.1 seconds) in this event, qualified the sixth fastest in a blistering time of 9.556 seconds to advance to the next round.
Topping the list of 28 cyclists were Dutch riders Harrie Lavreysen (9.253s) and Jeffrey Hoogland (9.322s) and Pole Mateusz Rudyk (9.434s) respectively.
Against former World Cycling Centre teammate, Nien Hsing Hsieh (Chinese Taipei) in the 1/16 final, Paul emerged victorious and moved on to the 1/8 final.
The TT speedster locked horns with Matthijs Buchli (Netherlands) and was unable to get past the "flying Dutchman", bringing to an end his hectic, but successful Olympic qualification campaign.
Paul has now amassed the required Olympic qualifier points and maintained his position among the top 12 cyclists to affirm his spot at the Olympic Games in July.
By qualification rules, he can also contest the men’s keirin event in Tokyo. He joins compatriots Kwesi Browne (keirin, sprint) and TT first-ever female Olympic cycling representative, Teniel Campbell (women’s road race) in Tokyo, completing TT’s largest cycling contingent at an Olympics, in almost 50 years.

Trinidad & Tobago Laser Sailor, Andrew Lewis has secured his third Olympic qualification to represent the country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Lewis competed at the Hempel World Cup Series Miami which began on January 20.
During the five-day regatta Lewis finished 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 8th and 17th . There were 40 sailors in the annual race fleet with 15 athletes from three countries vying for the Olympic berth. 
Although he placed 4th overall, Lewis out-sailed his rivals from Canada and Mexico who were also competing for country spots to qualify for Tokyo 2020. The Hempel World Cup Series in Miami had one qualification spot available for the Olympics.
Commenting on his performance and qualification success, Lewis said, it was a long and difficult journey.
“This was a long hard journey, especially after the accident. I am thankful to God and my team for helping me along this path. Yesterday was the anniversary of when I started training with my coach, Javier Hernandez Cebrian, what better way to celebrate it than my Olympic qualification.”
He thanked his sponsors Atlantic, Tatil, Blue Waters, Republic Bank, as well as The Ministry of Sport & Youth Affairs and the Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago.
Lewis also expressed thanks to the people of Trinidad & Tobago for its continued love and support, messages and positive vibes. Source: The Loop, Jan 26, 2020

​WITH THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO FLAG WAVING AND HER PARENTS CHEERING AT THE FINISH LINE, ABIGAIL VIEIRA MADE HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST ATHLETE FROM THE DUAL-ISLAND CARIBBEAN NATION TO COMPETE AT A WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES.

The 17-year-old Alpine skier was born in the United States but chose to represent her parents’ homeland at Lausanne 2020.A day after serving as Trinidad and Tobago’s flagbearer in the Opening Ceremony, Vieira competed in the women’s Super-G at Les Diablerets, the first medal event at Lausanne 2020.
She placed 42nd out of 62 competitors, finishing in 1 minute, 2.58 seconds. But neither the time nor the result mattered: representing the nation on the global stage was what counted most.
​“This is the greatest day for me,” Vieira said moments after crossing the finish line. “I wanted to ski for Trinidad because they never had a skier before at the Youth Olympics.
“I just thought it would be a great opportunity to show that part of me. It’s very special to me because my parents are from Trinidad. Yes, I could have chosen the US but I can share more of my story this way.”
Waiting to embrace Vieira at the finish were her father Richard, mother Allison and 19-year-old sister Ria. Her father serves as the chef de mission for the Trinidad and Tobago team, while her sister is the assistant coach. The family lives in Boston.
“It is a crazy feeling,” Vieira said. “Today I have represented a part of me that has not been shown on slopes before. It is great to have my family there.

LOCAL basketball talents Ashanti Phillips, Tyrik Singh and Shaquille Bertrand are now based in the US as the three players were granted athletic scholarships over the Juky/August vacation period to pursue their academic and athletic endeavours.
According to a press release issued by the National Basketball Federation of TT, Phillips of Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy and Tyrik Singh, who was most recently a part of the Maloney Pacers Basketball Club and Youth Development Programme, both received scholarship opportunities following their participation in this year’s 25/8 Exposure Camp hosted annually by local non-profit organisation, Caribbean Hoops.
Phillips, who is the first scholarship recipient out of SOS, suited up for the Sheridan College Generals, in Wyoming. The six-foot-two-inch player is excited about her new journey and looks forward to representing TT on the international stage.
In her response to the fortuitous opportunity, Phillips said, “I was so excited that my dream turned into a reality. When I first heard about the scholarship opportunity, I was indeed shocked, but I was happy to put myself in a position to take my game to the next level.”
Towering at six-foot-seven-inches, swingman Tyrik Singh committed to McCook Community College, in Nebraska. The former national Under-19 vice-captain also expressed elation upon receiving his scholarship.
“I am extremely grateful for Caribbean Hoops and all the coaches that helped me get to the position that I am in currently,” Singh said.
Singh also has positive sights on his academic pursuits.
“In my final year at McCook, I will be receiving an associate of arts degree. When that occurs, my next step is to move on to a division one programme to finish my degree in business and play at the highest level” said the 21-year old.
Meanwhile, Maloney Pacers’ Bertrand is now studying and playing at Central Arizona College (CAC) in Coolidge, Arizona. This came following a visit to TT by CAC’s men’s basketball programme coach, Tramaine Aaron, during the summer vacation.
​The Maloney-based club members were in full view of coach Aaron, along with former Pacers scholarship recipient, Sheldon Peterson. The sessions, which were organised by the club’s coach, Christopher Jackson, took place over a two-day period.
As the sessions concluded, Bertrand was at the forefront to join the CAC Vaqueros. While his goal is to dominate on the court, Bertrand will also aim to advance himself academically in the field of sports management.

Trinidad and Tobago track star Michelle-Lee Ahye grabbed gold in the women’s 100 metres dash at the Meeting International de Liege, in Belgium, on Wednesday. The Carenage sprinter stopped the clock at 11.25 seconds. South Africa’s Tebogo Mamathu picked up silver in 11.38, with bronze going to Belgian Imke Vervaet (11.75).
Alena Brooks earned silver in the women’s 800m event, the T&T halfmiler completing her two laps of the track in two minutes, 03.42 seconds. Kenyan Emily Jerotich was victorious in 2:02.30. Third spot went to Elise Vanderelst, the Belgian getting home in a personal best 2:03.66.