Outstanding achievements earn Jereem Richards, Michelle-Lee Ahye the title of T&T’s Athletes of the Year
Key Points(5)
- His previous victories came in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
- Richards' remarkable achievements in 2023 included securing a gold medal in the men's 400 meters at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador.
- During this competition, he set a personal best time of 44.54 seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Furthermore, Richards played a pivotal role in anchoring Trinidad and Tobago's men's 4x400m team to victory at the CAC Games.
- Despite being the only local athlete to reach the semi-final round at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Richards concluded the year with the 18th fastest 400m time (44.54) globally.
- Sanaa Frederick, a US-born athlete, received the junior female trophy after her victory in the Carifta Girls Under-20 200m in the Bahamas, along with her contribution to Trinidad and Tobago's silver medals in the girls' U-20 4x100m and 4x400m relay events.
Trinidad and Tobago celebrated the excellence of two exceptional athletes, Jereem Richards and Michelle-Lee Ahye, as they were crowned the "Athletes of the Year" for 2023 at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the National Association of Athletics Administration of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT).
The event took place at the Radisson Hotel in Port-of-Spain on Saturday, where these athletes were recognized for their outstanding achievements.
Richards, a distinguished sprinter representing the Abilene Wildcats, claimed the men's "Athlete of the Year" honor for the sixth time. His previous victories came in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Richards' remarkable achievements in 2023 included securing a gold medal in the men's 400 meters at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador. During this competition, he set a personal best time of 44.54 seconds.
Furthermore, Richards played a pivotal role in anchoring Trinidad and Tobago's men's 4x400m team to victory at the CAC Games. Despite being the only local athlete to reach the semi-final round at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Richards concluded the year with the 18th fastest 400m time (44.54) globally. He also achieved the 25th fastest time (20.08) in the 200m.
Eight-time winner
Michelle-Lee Ahye, a renowned sprinter and a gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, earned the women's "Athlete of the Year" title following her impressive bronze medal performance in the women's 100m at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, on October 31. This marked her eighth time receiving the top women's award, having previously accomplished this feat in 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013.
In addition to honoring the senior athletes, the junior "Athletes of the Year" were recognized as well. Sanaa Frederick, a US-born athlete, received the junior female trophy after her victory in the Carifta Girls Under-20 200m in the Bahamas, along with her contribution to Trinidad and Tobago's silver medals in the girls' U-20 4x100m and 4x400m relay events. Tafari Waldron, representing the Cougars Athletic Club, secured the Carifta boys’ U-20 5,000m title.
Notably, Richards and Michelle-Lee Ahye were not in attendance at the awards ceremony. As these accolades were distributed to these exceptional athletes, the event also acknowledged Janae De Gannes and Imani Matthew as the Youth "Athletes of the Year," while Kernesha Shelbourne received the President’s Rising Star Award.
