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Trinidad and Tobago athletes will be compensated if they win a medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

That's because the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) is introducing a cash for medals initiative starting with the Pan Am Games in July.

Contacted yesterday, TTOC president Brian Lewis says the exact amount corresponding to each type of medal is still being worked out by the TTOC executive. He added the level of Games --Olympic Games medals will be awarded more than Pan Am Games medals-- will also be considered and determined.

But Lewis said the idea behind the introduction of the medal bonus is to encourage local athletes to raise their game.

"The thinking is to create the kind of environment needed to drive performance. One has to strive to high performance and performance based systems and one of the ways we want to do that is to introduce the medal bonus starting at the 2015 Pan Am Games," Lewis said. "It's a commitment I intend to honour while we continue to work on other elements

The former Harvard rugby player said for now the bonus will be strictly for medals and will include individual, relays and team sports.

"It is a starting position and we will review the quantum as we go along...I can say already say that the Olympics will definitely have a medal bonus higher than Pan Ams," he said.

Lewis added the incentive is part of the 10 Olympic golds by 2024 initiative. "I think it is very exciting in the context of what it does it signals to the athlete we are serious about creating a high performance environment," Lewis said.

Lewis added it is part of a number of other initiatives the TTOC is currently undertaking or discussing to undertake including another developing Sports Science and Sports Medicine Service network of sports medicine people, athletic trainers, physiotherapists, and a bio mechanic; the pursuit of a local Olympic Training Centre (discussions ongoing with the SPORTT company, UTT etc) in consultation with a high performance centre like the Michael Johnson Performance Centre in Texas; and internships and career placement programmes for athletes modelled after the IOC Athlete Career Programme.

"Obviously we can't solve all the problems immediately but we want to move the bar higher and what we are saying to the athlete is we are creating an incentive, To me the most important resource is the T&T athlete, at this particular point, and we are very much focused on high performance and creating that environment and opportunities for the athletes," Lewis said.

Lewis added it is all part of a "strategic, structured and systemic approach" the TTOC is adopting as the TTOC looks "to impact the athletes in a very tangible way"

"We can't continue to put so much burden on athletes, If we cannot be totally professional, we still have the facilities and resources where we can provide the athletes with support services they need and if we can create performance based incentives, create the opportunities for the athletes, it will be developing a win-win for the country, for the IOC, the NSO and corporate Trinidad and Tobago. With the Rio Olympics 14 months away, it is also important we need a sense of urgency to continue to push for these initiatives to come on stream as we look to Rio, Tokyo 2020 and beyond," Lewis concluded.

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Machel Cedenio's rich vein of form continued on Saturday night, the Trinidad and Tobago quartermiler producing a golden run at the Ponce Grand Prix, in Puerto Rico.

Cedenio clocked a fast 44.97 seconds for an impressive victory in the men's 400 metres event, relegating reigning world champion LaShawn Merritt to the runner-up spot. Merritt, who struck one-lap gold for United States at the 2008 Olympic Games, got home in 45.42. Third spot, meanwhile, went to Dominican Republic's Gustavo Cuesta (45.89).

Two Saturdays ago, Cedenio was victorious at the Cayman Invitational in a personal best 44.36 seconds, the clocking earning him second spot on the 2015 world performance list, behind Grenada's 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James (44.22).

Thanks to his 44.36 PR (personal record), 19-year-old Cedenio moved into joint-second on the all-time T&T list, alongside Deon Lendore, and behind national record holder Ian Morris (44.21).

There was victory too in Ponce for T&T sprinter Keston Bledman. Running into a 0.8 metres per second headwind, Bledman stopped the clock at 10.17 seconds.

There was a close battle for second, American Harry Adams taking the silver in 10.26, the same time produced by his St Kitts and Nevis namesake, Antoine Adams. Just one-thousandth of a second separated Adams and Adams.

T&T's Emanuel Mayers clocked 50.49 seconds to finish second in section one and seventh overall in the men's 400m hurdles. Bahamian Jeffery Gibson, the winner of section two in 49.19, took the gold, ahead of Puerto Rico's Javier Culson (49.31) and Nigerian Miles Ukaoma (49.39).

At the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Track and Field Championships, in Alabama, USA, T&T's Dan-Neil Telesford seized silver in the men's 200m in a wind-assisted 20.93 seconds.

In the qualifying round, Telesford won heat three in 21.18 to advance automatically to the final. His Wiley College teammate and fellow-T&T athlete, Quinn-Lee Ralph was ninth overall in 21.25, just missing out on a lane in the eight-man championship race.

Ralph was 13th fastest in the 100m preliminaries in 10.59 seconds. And in the 400m, Telesford was 17th overall in 48.96.

Three T&T athletes-Ralph, Justin Maloney and Telesford-teamed up with American Jordan Woods to secure men's 4x400m silver for Wiley College, in three minutes, 12.45 seconds.

In the 4x100m relay, the all-T&T Wiley combination of Ralph, Telesford, Machael Mark and Maloney bagged bronze in 40.59 seconds. Wiley had clocked 40.55 in the heats.

Wiley accumulated 22 points to finish 15th in the men's team competition. Concordia University, Nebraska won with a total of 59 points.

In California, Ayanna Alexander produced a wind-aided 13.28 metres effort for sixth spot in the Chula Vista Elite #2 women's triple jump event.

And at the Tucson Elite Classic, in Arizona, Central Arizona College athlete Hezekiel Romeo finished ninth in the men's shot put with a 17.23m throw.

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Kyle Greaux outclassed his rivals in the Hampton International Games men's invitational 200 metres event, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, yesterday.

Greaux, Emmanuel Callender and Barbadian Levi Cadogan were close in the first half of the race. Greaux, however, seized control on the straight, the Abilene Wildcats athlete pulling away from his rivals to strike gold in 20.69 seconds.

Callender, of Memphis Pioneers, clocked 21.20 to capture silver, while bronze went to Cadogan in 21.29.

Kamaria Durant got home in 23.12 seconds to win the women's invitational 200m event. With that triumph, the Simplex athlete completed the sprint double.

Memphis Pioneers half-miler, Alena Brooks completed her two laps of the track in two minutes, 06.79 seconds for gold in the women's 800m. Her teammate, Dawnel Collymore clocked 2:10.51 to earn silver.

Barbadian Anthonio Mascoll won the men's 800m in 1:50.77, from Defence Force runner Cliffton Sylvester (1:52.44) and Rebirth's Jamaal James (1:52.48).

Elton Walcott topped the men's triple jump field, the UTT athlete producing a wind-assisted 16.09 metres jump.

Portious Warren grabbed gold in the women's shot put, the Toco TAFAC athlete throwing the iron ball 14.56m. Jamaican Fedrick Dacres won the men's discus with a 56.24m throw. And French teenager, Yanis David was golden in the women's long jump with a wind-aided 6.12m leap.

Late on Saturday, Cadogan won the men's invitational 100m dash in 10.24 seconds.

Callender and Rebirth's Marcus Duncan could not be separated by the naked eye in their duel for silver. Both were credited with the same time, 10.32. However, after a close examination of the photo finish, Callender was awarded second spot. Third-placed Duncan was just three-thousandths of a second slower than his rival.

Sparkle McKnight won the women's 400m in 53.45 seconds. The men's 400m title went to France's Ludvy Vaillant, in 47.05.

Another Frenchman, world junior record holder Wilhem Belocian got to the line in 13.48 seconds for gold in the men's 110m hurdles. Belocian, who won the global junior title last year, finished well ahead of Ruebin Walters, the Memphis athlete seizing silver in 13.82.

Durant was an impressive winner of the women's invitational 100m, clocking 11.54 seconds.

Marsha Mark-Baird earned a second gold at the meet when she finished first in the women's 100m masters event in 13.11 seconds. Earlier on Saturday, the evergreen Palo Seco athlete won the women's javelin with a 42.94m throw.

Mark-Baird also earned 100m hurdles silver on Saturday, clocking a wind-aided 14.41 seconds to finish behind France's Edith Doekoe, the winner in 13.79.

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The Trinidad and Tobago cyclists promised a strong performance at the Caribbean Track Cycling Championships, and they delivered as the meet concluded yesterday evening in Havana, Cuba.

The T&T cycling team was able to add seven more medals to rack up an eventual tally of 15. Quincy Alexander stole the show as he won the men's keirin on the final evening yesterday, making good on his promising local performances so far this year.

Alexander of Team DPS Cycling Club, rode to victory in the keirin event, as he had previously won gold in the team sprint, and helped himself to bronze on Friday in the men's sprint.

Aziza Browne and Jodi Goodridge both mirrored their results from the women's sprint events, as they won silver and bronze respectively in the Women's keirin. They also combined to win silver in the women's team sprint.

On Friday, distance rider Varun Maharahj won the elite Men's omnium, while his rival and teammate Akil Campbell finished in third. The T&T cyclists are set to return today from Havana at 4.30 p.m.

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Top T&T swimmer George Bovell is content with his performances at the recently-concluded Belgian Open Swimming Championships at the Olympic Swimming Pool, Wezenberg, Antwerp.

But the 2004 Athens Olympic bronze medallist, who secured a second silver in the Men's 50m backstroke on the final day of the three-day meet on Sunday, admitted there is more fine-tuning to be done.

Contacted yesterday, Bovell said: "I am content with the results, however they show that there is a lot of work still to do. The good news is that there is plenty of time".

The 31-year-old Bovell, who moved his base from the University of Michigan to the ADN Swim Project in Italy in February, clocked 25.70 seconds, coming in behind ADN clubmate Francois Heersbrandt who won in 25.50 seconds with Greece's Michail Kondizas securing bronze in 25.81.

It was the second silver medal for Bovell after he also gained silver in the Men's 50-metre breaststroke in a new national record on Friday.

The others in the final were Nils Van Audekerke (26.64), Sjobbe Luyten (26.89), Maxime Andrien (26.98), Lander Hendrickx (27.18) and Michele Ratti (27.27)

The 2013 Barcelona FINA World Long Course Men's 50m free bronze medallist also placed fifth in the Men's 50-metre free. Bovell, the four-time T&T First Citizens Sportsman of the Year, was also listed to swim the 100-metre freestyle Sunday, but withdrew to focus on the backstroke.

Bovell was pleased overall with the performances in Belgium. "This last weekend was a good indicator of where I am in my season. I went seeking to find out my faults, which will be the road map to achieving my goals this summer, and now getting there lies in overcoming them. My details were good, my stroke tempo was slow however, which I believe is due to not being as explosive, as I (will) need to be later this summer. (This) probably in part due to my current workload," Bovell assessed.

Bovell continued, "The next time I compete at the beginning and middle of June, I intend to chip away at the tenths of a second to get down to 21 (seconds) by the Pan Am Games and then even faster to peak for (FINA) World Champs the first week of August".

Next up for Bovell, the 2013 FINA World Short Course Men's 100-metre IM bronze medallist, is the Tropheo Citta in Rome, Italy (June 1-3); followed by the Sette Colli, also in Rome (June 12-14); Trofeo Rossini (June 19-21); Treviso Swim Cup (June 26-27) and French Open Championship in Vichy, July 4-5.

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Sobo Village. Where is it? First left turn just after you pass the Pitch Lake. Last Saturday, the Sobo Village Recreation Ground was the venue for the Flow sponsored Rainbow Sport and Cultural Club community rugby caravan, a programme that targets communities primarily in the south of the twin Island Republic, areas that would not have seen organised rugby before.

The weekend before, the Fanny Village Recreation Ground was the setting and stage for the Flow caravan. The enthusiasm shown by the youths in Sobo Village to sign up for rugby coaching after seeing rugby live for the first time may have come as a surprise even to the always optimistic Rudolph Jack, president of Rainbow Sport and Cultural Club and the architect of the community caravan.

To say that the Sobo Village recreation ground is ideally placed within the community is an understatement. It’s well located. The only negative was the inadequate lighting system. A circumstance the Sobo Village Council needs to address with some urgency. The interest shown by Sobo Village for the Flow sponsored caravan highlighted yet again the importance of the Ministry of Sport, Sport Company and the TTOC continuing to support the geographic spread of sport.

In many ways it would be fair to say that the children and youths of Sobo Village are undeserved by national sport organisations. One can well understand the challenges national sport organisations face. The main one being human and financial resource limitations. But the time has come to critically examine the easy excuse.

Is the lack of financial and human resource the only barrier to the structured and systemic geographic spread of organised sporting activity? Again I must refer to, or reflect on if you prefer, the enthusiastic response by Sobo Village to the Flow and Rainbow Sport and Culture Club community rugby caravan.

Sport leaders need to get out and about. Yes it can be time consuming. To understand both the opportunities and problems facing communities such as Sobo Village and other Villages those who make decisions need to go see for themselves.

It’s not so much about talent identification and long term athlete development. It’s simply about seeing first-hand the pure joy of children and youth at play. It matters not the sport. To see children and youth playing sport for the pure joy of playing is well worth the drive, time and energy. The challenge facing programmes such as the Flow caravan is one of continuity and sustainability.

How do national sport organisations provide children and youths in the villages and communities through the length and breadth of T&T with the access and chance to participate in safe, secure and well organised sporting activity? Driving through Sobo Village on the way to the Sobo Village recreation ground may be a revelation.

To all those dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly in the various villages and communities through this twin island republic... be encouraged. Yours may be a thankless and frustrating endeavour, but making a positive difference in the lives of the nation’s children is priceless. Even as I wrote the previous sentence I felt a sense of frustration even hopelessness because the first hand reality is stark.

More must be done. Where there is a will there is a way. Let’s not lose hope even though it may seem that it is getting harder and harder every day.

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EPHRAIM SERRETTE, president of the National Association of Athletic Administrations (NAAA), is impressed by the recent form of Trinidad and Tobago athletes at the international circuit.

On Saturday, national 400-metre runners Machel Cedenio and Deon Lendore set two of the fastest times in 2015, with respective times of 44.36 seconds (at the Cayman Invitational) and 44.41 seconds (at the South Eastern Championships in Mississippi, United States.

On Sunday, sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye ran 11.13 seconds to finish third in the women’s 100 metres at the Shanghai Diamond League in China.

And, in the first Diamond League meet for 2015, in Doha, Qatar on Friday, Keston Bledman clocked 10.01 seconds to gain bronze in the men’s 100m.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Serrette admitted that he was in Doha to witness the opening leg of the Diamond League.

“Actually I witnessed Bledman’s performance,” said Serrette. “I returned from Dubai (on Sunday). It was a credible performance. He didn’t get out but he was (focussed) on the times he have been doing.

“Michelle-Lee, on the other hand, continues to prove herself with the best of the female sprinters in the world,” continued the NAAA president. “She just needs to understand the whole (process) so that she’ll be ready for our Championships and the World Championships later in August.”

Focussing on Saturday’s displays by the quarter-mile pair of Cedenio and Lendore, Serrette said, “with Lendore (running) 44.41, and 44.36 by Cedenio, I think these performances augur well for our Championships this year.

“It’s showing that we will have some great match-ups in the case of the 400 (metres), it’s not just one person, the 100 for women (and) men, the 110 hurdles we have both Mikel Thomas and Wayne Davis performing, and also Ruben Walters. We have Emmanuel Mayers who is the defending 400-metre hurdles champion, and Jehue (Gordon). We have young Shakeil Waithe coming up in the javelin and he’ll be in competition with Keshorn (Walcott). So all these performances are assisting the Association in developing a very good product for our Championships in June.”

The National Championships will be staged at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from June 26-28.

Serrette stressed, “the Championships is a requirement for anybody who want to represent Trinidad and Tobago. We have everyone showing that they’re prepared to wear the red, white and black.”

Commenting on Trinidad and Tobago’s disappointing showing at the IAAF World Relays on May 2-3 in Bahamas, Serrette noted “at the inaugural World Relays (last year), we had three medals, the men 4x100m, the women’s 4x100 and the (men) 4x400m. I think it’s early days yet and we have some work to do.

“The plan is for the relay team to get some more work together, which will be most likely after the (National) Championships, leading up to the World Championships in August (in Beijing, China). So we have all of July and August to (get) some sort of competition that our relay teams can get ready to get some fast times,” he ended.

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Machel Cedenio marked his admission to the sub-45 club with a tremendous display of one-lap sprinting at the Cayman Invitational, in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Saturday night.

Cedenio produced a jaw-dropping 44.36 seconds run for a commanding victory in the men's 400 metres event. With that clocking, the 19-year-old quartermiler joined Deon Lendore in second spot on the all-time Trinidad and Tobago list.

Only national record holder Ian Morris has run faster. But with Lendore running 44.41 on Saturday afternoon, and Cedenio going five-hundredths of a second faster less than four hours later, Morris' 23-year-old T&T standard of 44.21 seconds could be under serious threat this season.

Cedenio, the 11th T&T athlete to join the sub-45 club, is now second on the 2015 world performance list, behind Grenadian world-leader Kirani James (44.22). Lendore is in third spot.

Ahead of the Cayman Invitational, Cedenio was 12th on the all-time T&T men's 400m list at 45.09. In 44.36 seconds, the Florida-based athlete leapfrogged nine quality quartermilers, including 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon (44.52), who slips to fourth, and 1964 Olympic silver medallist Wendell Mottley (44.82), who is down to seventh.

On Saturday, Cedenio successfully defended his Cayman Invitational title, breaking his 45.23 seconds meet record in the process. The 2014 world junior champion was unchallenged for gold, Jamaican Javon Francis finishing a distant second in 45.54 seconds. Bronze went to American Aldrich Bailey in 45.63.

T&T's Josanne Lucas was fifth in the women's 100m hurdles in 13.76 seconds. Romona Modeste clocked 54.47 for sixth spot in the women's 400m. And Jonathan Farinha, competing on his 19th birthday, finished seventh in the men's 200m in 21.21.

In Florida, Kelly-Ann Baptiste was the fastest sprinter on show in the Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet 2 women's 100m preliminaries. The 2011 World Championship bronze medallist topped heat one in 11 seconds flat, but did not face the starter in the final.

In the 200m event, Baptiste earned bronze in a wind-assisted 23.05 seconds.

Deborah John won the women's 100m hurdles "B" final in a wind-aided 13.56 seconds. Her 13.52 preliminary round run was also windy.

And Mikel Thomas clocked 13.50 seconds to secure fourth spot in the men's 110m hurdles final.

At yesterday's Shanghai Diamond League meet, in China, T&T track star Michelle-Lee Ahye finished third in the women's 100m dash in 11.13 seconds. Among the sprinters Ahye beat to the line were Jamaican Olympic champions, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Campbell-Brown was fourth in 11.22, while Fraser-Pryce was fifth in 11.25.

Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare won in 10.98 seconds, while second spot went to American Tori Bowie (11.07).

T&T thrower Cleopatra Borel produced an 18.32 metres effort to finish sixth in the women's shot put. China's Gong Lijiao topped the field with a world-leading 20.23m throw.

Renny Quow finished eighth in the men's 400m, the T&T quartermiler getting home in 46.65 seconds. James emerged victorious in the one-lap race, the Grenadian world-leader stopping the clock at 44.66. Americans Tony McQuay (45.54) and LaShawn Merritt (45.58) were second and third, respectively.

Late on Saturday, Kayelle Clarke earned more precious metal at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Kansas, USA.

Clarke, who won the women's 100m title earlier in the day, added 200m bronze. The New Mexico Junior College sprinter produced a wind-assisted 24.30 seconds run. Western Texas College student, Marissa Gale was seventh in 24.76.

South Plains College athlete, Jereem Richards, winner of the men's 400m title, finished fourth in the 200m final in 21.16 seconds.

South Plains won the men's and women's team titles.

Theon Lewis claimed bronze in the California Community College State Championship men's 400m event. Lewis clocked 47.67 seconds, while his College of the Sequoias teammate and fellow-T&T athlete, Ohdel James got home in 47.78 to finish fourth. In the 200m, Lewis was fifth in 21.68 seconds.

In Texas, Reyare Thomas grabbed gold in the Hardin-Simmons Twilight meet women's 200m event. The T&T sprinter completed the half-lap race in 23.92 seconds.

At the Hoka One One Distance Classic, in California, Jamaal James finished seventh in the men's 800m "B" race in one minute, 52.83 seconds.

And two Saturdays ago, at the Occidental Invitational, in California, Magnolia Howell clocked 54.37 seconds for fifth spot in the women's 400m.

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