T&T 36 athletes set for Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Double Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott, sprinters Leah Bertrand and Jereem Richards, and cyclist Nicholas Paul will take the front positions in the T&T team for the coming Commonwealth Games, which will take place July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.

A total delegation of 60 members will represent T&T until August 3, 2026, with the team comprising 17 men and 19 women and 24 officials (14 men and 10 women).

TeamTTO athletes will compete in athletics (track & field), boxing, cycling, gymnastics, judo and netball.

Leading the fray is Walcott, who made history by winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics at just 19 years old to become the first Caribbean male and first athlete of African descent to win an Olympic throwing event in the javelin. Known for his powerful 90.16m personal best throw in 2015, Walcott also claimed the bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Walcott, who claimed the gold medal at last week’s NAAAs Juniors and Open Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, heads a field of 13 in the sphere of track and field, which also features Bertrand, a double gold medallist in the 100 and 200 metres sprints, and Michelle Lee Ahye, a gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the women’s 100 metres.

Also included from track and field is sprint sensation Jereem Richards, the T&T national record holder for the 400 metres and 200 metres, as well as the 400 metres indoor record holder.

In cycling, Nicholas Paul will lead from the front. A multiple-time medallist in the match sprint, keirin, and the individual time trial, Paul will be supported by former TT Olympian Njisane Phillip, Zion Pulido, and rising talent Jadian Neaves, who will contest the men’s 10-kilometre scratch race, the 4000-metre individual pursuit, and the men’s 40-kilometre points race, as well as the men’s elimination race.

Meanwhile, another Olympian, Nigel Paul, will lead the charge in boxing at the Games. However, Paul could face an uphill task, as his preparations have been hampered by few to no sparring partners to prepare him in his category. Paul competes in the super heavyweight division, and the T&T held a live-in camp for international boxers at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella to offer practice for Paul and other local boxers.

The camp held from June 1 to 20 allowed Paul to be featured against a Barbadian fighter in his division and others heavier.

Apart from Paul, the boxing team also includes Anthony Joseph and Jeremiah Thomas, who will compete in the 60kg and 80kg divisions, respectively.

The T&T delegation reflects a blend of experienced elite athletes and promising debutants, underscoring Team TTO’s continued commitment to competitive excellence and athlete development on the international stage.

Leading the delegation as chef de mission is Chanelle Young, a former T&T national youth footballer and accomplished sport administrator.

Young previously served as Chef de Mission at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and has accumulated extensive experience in sports administration through her work with the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and later with Panam Sports, one of the world’s largest multisport organisations.

Young will be supported by Deputy Chef de Mission Rhonda Clarke, Press Attaché Melanie Gulston, and a dedicated medical team led by Chief Medical Officer Dr Candice Williams.

TeamTTO Management and Support Staff: Chanelle Young (Chef de Mission), Rhonda Clarke (Deputy Chef de Mission), Dr Candice Williams (Chief Medical Officer), Dr Karielle De Bique (Physiotherapist), Nicole Fuentes-Charles (Massage Therapist), Kellee Spicer (Massage Therapist), Derek Ashby-Williams (Massage Therapist), Melanie Gulston (Press Attaché), and Tyrique Lambert (Administrative Personnel).

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, and will be the first in history to be staged entirely within an indoor arena, the OVO Hydro, providing a fully immersive experience for the audience and athletes alike featuring over 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations.

The ceremony will showcase a star-studded lineup of performers, including Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, Callum Beattie, Nina Nesbitt, Nathan Evans, Saint PHNX, Tom Walker, and electronic folk duo Valtos.

Athletes from all 74 Commonwealth Games associations will participate in the Parade of Nations, carrying individually designed King’s batons following the conclusion of the King’s Baton Relay.

Four years ago in Birmingham, England, Jereem Richards won two gold medals to lead T&T to a six-medal haul.

Richards anchored the T&T men’s 4x400m relay team, which included Dwight St Hillaire, Asa Guevara, and Machel Cedenio, while he also won the men’s 200m championship.

Nicholas Paul cycled to gold in the keirin before taking silver in the sprint and a bronze medal in the kilometre time trial, marking the first time since 1966 that T&T had won three or more gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

In fact, T&T won only three gold medals between 1966 and 2018 at the Commonwealth Games.

Ato Boldon took gold in the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur before Michelle-Lee Ahye won gold in the women’s 100m at Gold Coast 2018.

Richards then took 200m gold at the Gold Coast before successfully defending his title on Saturday in Birmingham.

The 28-year-old sprinter is the only T&T athlete to successfully defend his title at the Commonwealth Games.

T&T won three medals at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, with the country’s best performance at the Commonwealth Games coming in 1966, where T&T athletes captured five gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals in Kingston, Jamaica.

The T&T senior women’s netball team, dubbed the ‘Calypso Girls’, will be first in action on Saturday, July 25, when they open their Pool B round-robin campaign against regional rivals and world number three team Jamaica in the 12-team tournament.

After facing Jamaica’s ‘Sunshine Girls’, who were silver medal winners four years ago, the ‘Calypso Girls’, ranked 11th in the world, will then come up against seventh-ranked Uganda on Sunday, July 26, followed by matches against host and tenth-ranked Scotland on Monday, July 27; sixth-ranked Wales on Tuesday, July 28; and in their final pool match, world second-ranked New Zealand, the 2022 bronze medal winners, on Thursday, July 30.

T&T TEAM

ATHLETICS: Leah Bertrand, Reese Webster, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Shaniqua Bascombe, Janae De Gannes, Tyra Gittens-Spotsville, Omari Lewis, Eric Harrison Jr, Jaden Marchan, Jereem Richards, Nathan Cumberbatch, Keshorn Walcott, Kelsey Daniel

OFFICIALS- Dexter Voisin (manager), Dr Ian Hypolite (headcoach sprints), Keston Bledman (coach sprints), Wendell Williams (coach jumps), Dr Klaus Bartonietz (coach throws)

PARA ATHLETES:Akeem Stewart, Kesean Phillips (coach)

CYCLING: Nicholas Paul, Njisane Phillip, Zion Pulido, Jadian Neaves.

OFFICIALS- Rowena Williams (manager), Craig Maclean (coach), Elisha Greene (mechanic)

NETBALL Janeisha Cassimy, Joelisa Cooper, Nichola Gill, Makayla Grant, Demisha Henry, Aneisha Hyles, Shian Lewis, Adannaya Martin, Jeresia McEachrane, Shaniyas Morgan, Afeisha Noel, Ebony Williams.

OFFICIALS- Carlette Nurse (head coach), Joel Brown (assistant coach), Akeela Rodriguez (team manager).

BOXING: Anthony Joseph, Jeremiah Thomas, Nigel Paul

OFFICIAL- Rawlson Dopwell (coach)

JUDO: Jelani Boyce, Gabriella Wood

OFFICIAL- Reinaldo Novoa (coach)

GYMNASTICS: Chane Cumbermack

OFFICIAL- Andrew Moling (coach)