Page 20 - Team TTO PARIS 2024

It’s a blessing

to even be here running

“My late friend Deon Lendore was a big inspiration for He seemed to be on a roll until an injury at the
me and a part of the reason I’m picking up the 400m National Trials at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in
so much this season. Just to honour Deon, keep the July left him battling to be fit for the World
fire burning and ensure we have a good legacy in the Championships in Budapest. He was only able to
400m.” Jereem Richards, 2022. make it to the semi-finals at the Championships.

In 2022, the untimely death of 400m sprinter Deon “It’s a blessing to even be here running.” he told local
Lendore left a huge hole in T&T track and field. Lendore journalists after the race. “A lot of people questioned
was part of the 4x400m team that won bronze at the why I didn’t run the final in the 200 in Senior
London Olympics in 2012 and silver at the World Champs. In running the heats, I tore the fascia
Championships in Beijing, China in 2015. around my plantar fascia under my foot.”

Fellow sprinter Jereem Richards was one of Lendore’s He explained that he went through intense therapy
best friends. At the time, Richards had been balancing including PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment, pool
the 200m and the 400m. But after Lendore’s passing, workouts and runs on the high jump mat. He went
Richards who had won bronze in the 200m at the 2017 to Hungary hoping for the best, but it wasn’t to be.
World Athletics Championships in London declared he
would run more 400m races as a way of honouring his 2024 looks a lot better for the Point Fortin athlete
teammate and friend. nicknamed, “The Dream”.

Richards then went on to have some of the best 400m In May, he lined up alongside Asa Guevara, Che Lara
races of his life. In March 2022, at the New Balance and Shakeem McKay to book T&T’s Olympic
Indoor Grand Prix in New York, he won with a personal qualification for the 4x400m relay. Then on June 1,
best time of 45.83. he won the 200m at the Racers Grand Prix in
Kingston, Jamaica in a time of 20.13 to ensure his
It was then on to the World Indoor Championships in spot for the 200m in Paris.
Belgrade, Serbia in where he smashed the T&T national
record with a run of 45secs to grab the gold medal. Richards didn’t disappoint the fans who braved the
rains at the Hasely Crawford Stadium to watch the
He was also doing some excellent times in the 200m finals of the 400m at the national trials. He breezed
hitting a personal best of 19.80 in his golden run at the to a win in 44.72, posting a season’s best in the
Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. process.
In 2023, he had a brilliant indoor season winning the Richards says he’s not sure which sprint event he’ll
Millrose Games in New York and the Birmingham take part in at the Games, but his followers can be
World Indoor Tour Final in England. Richards sure he’ll run with determination and faith and
dominated the field in the Central American and deliver his best as he always does for the red, white
Caribbean Championships in a time of 44.54 secs, and black.
another personal best.

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