With Trinidad and Tobago on the brink of missing out on relay participation at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, four-time Olympic medallist and acclaimed track analyst Ato Boldon says it’s time for a radical departure from the same old approach if the nation hopes to revive its fading athletics legacy.
Boldon expressed disappointment at the country’s extended medal drought on the global stage, which stretches back to the 2016 Olympic medal haul in Rio and the men’s 4x400m relay gold at the 2017 World Championships. As the countdown begins for this year’s championships, Boldon argued that Trinidad and Tobago’s chances of making an impact, especially in the relays, are quickly slipping away.
“That’s a long drought. At some point, somebody has to step up and end it. I hope that is Jereem [Richards]. Maybe it’s somebody else, and maybe the drought has a little longer to go,” Boldon said candidly on i95.5FM’s ISports programme.
Jereem Richards
The twin island republic’s men’s and women’s 4x100m teams are ranked 19th and 20th, respectively, well outside the top 16 needed for a spot in Tokyo. The qualification window closes on August 24, and with no team fielded at the recent World Relays, Boldon fears the country may miss the opportunity altogether.
“The one thing that we should always be doing—and I’ve been saying this for now 10 years—is that we should always be developing our relays. There should either be a mix of veterans and young people, as we have now on our relays, or all young people. We should send our relay teams to every single meet if we really have our hands on the wheel properly,” he stressed.
Despite the grim outlook, Boldon believes that Jereem Richards remains Trinidad and Tobago’s best shot at medalling individually, as he cited his strong early-season form. He also floated Leah Bertrand as a potential contender but underscored that beyond a few individuals, the pipeline is dangerously thin.
“Do we have lots of prospects? No. The odds are probably against us. But I think we are past the point where we can continue to be pessimistic,” he said.
Leah Bertrand
The former world champion noted that many top collegiate athletes were unavailable for recent meets due to university commitments, and this he viewed as a valid, though unfortunate, reality. Still, Boldon contends that Trinidad and Tobago’s problems run far deeper than short-term scheduling conflicts—they stem from a systemic failure to develop athletes from the ground up.
“Things are really, really bad. If you look at it, the numbers are not good. Our junior numbers are not good. We have stopped winning World Under-20 medals for a while,” he pointed out.
Boldon argued that clubs that once produced world-class talent no longer deliver at the same rate, and, as such, he believes the solution lies in emulating the school-based systems of countries like Jamaica and The Bahamas, which consistently produce elite-level athletes.
“The fix is to fix our business the way Jamaica and the Bahamas have figured it out, with a proper high school system… with a proper primary school system. That is what they have over us,” he argued.
Action from Jamaica’s high school championships.
Boldon revealed that he is part of a new initiative aimed at revamping the grassroots development structure in Trinidad and Tobago, set to begin as early as the next school term. While not operating directly under the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA), Boldon made it clear that he is not against collaboration.
“We have people who know way more about sports administration than me who have sought me out… we are going to try to support our high school and primary school systems and find the talent from there. I am not anti-Federation. I am just anti-spinning top in mud and doing the same thing that got us here,” he said.
