Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Written by Nicholas Clarke
Shot putter Cleopatra Borrel Brown was thrilled to be named Sportswoman of the Year by the T&T Olympic Committee for the third time in five years at its Annual Award Ceremony at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain on Wednesday night. Borrel Brown, also a recipient in 2006 and 2007, became the first local woman to medal twice at the Commonwealth Games when she copped a silver at the event in India in October. She also broke the national record three times and won the gold at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico in July. Speaking to the media after the ceremony, the 31-year-old said that considering the achievements of others such as Kelly Ann Baptiste and Annie Alexander, it was an honour to be chosen for the award.
“There were a lot of great performances by our athletes this year and I feel blessed and humbled to have won this award. It was awesome to be recognised. When you’re out there actually putting in the work, sometimes it’s a little lonely and you wonder if you should be spending you’re life doing this. So it will definitely give me a boost going into the next year.” Borrel Browne added that the past 12 months had been a period of growth and that she was looking forward to continuing her development in 2011. “I’ve put in a lot of work this year and restructured my training and it really paid off. I became more of an independent athlete, training on my own a lot more than I used to.
“I’m still advised by my coach but I’ve mostly taken my training it into my own hands. I kind of just do what I want. Based on this year, I can really work on the things that I’ve learned and try to get better at doing the things that I do well. I am having fun and I want to keep going.” The Mayaro native was also given the equivalent award by the First Citizens Sports Foundation in 2002 and 2007 and is a leading contender for the 2010 honour which will be announced at the same venue on February 9. Meanwhile Sports Personality of the Year Shanntol Ince, who became the first paralympic athlete from T&T to compete at a Commonwealth Games this year, said that she hoped her success in 2010 to be a platform for further things. “It felt really great to know that all my hard work had paid off,” she said. “2011 will be preparation for 2012; training, working hard, eating right, and doing well at various competitions.”