Top Trinidad and Tobago shot putter Cleopatra Borel captured a record fourth Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) Sportswoman of the Year award when the organisation hosted its 17th Annual Awards ceremony at the National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA) Monday night.
Borel, who previously captured the award in 2006, 2010 and 2013, was the pick among T&T athletes when she captured the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in July in Glasgow, Scotland before following up with a gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Veracruz, Mexico in November.
Twenty-twelve Olympic Men’s javelin gold medallist Keshorn Walcott copped the TTOC Sportsman of the Year award, which was received by his manager/agent Sean Roach as Walcott was at training at the Hasely Crawford Stadium Monday evening in preparation for the 2015 season.
Walcott won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and bronze at the Continental Cup in Morocco in September. The Commonwealth Games throw of 85.28 metres was a new national record, surpassing his 84.98m 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning effort.
At the 50-minute live tv and radio broadcast show, top T&T swimmer George Bovell, who was absent because he is currently in the USA, gained his second consecutive TTOC Sports Personality of the Year award based on his exploits during the FINA Mastbank World Cup Swimming series and the completion of a hat-trick of 50m freestyle titles at the CAC Games in Mexico last month.
The Alex B Chapman award, presented by the former long-serving TTOC president Chapman himself, was awarded to former national senior men’s football team head coach Bertille St Clair.
Track and field athletes swept the junior awards, including Aaliyah Telesford for the Junior Sportswoman of the Year and current World Junior 400m champion Machel Cedenio.
National Association of Athletic Administrations (NAAA) president Ephraim Serrette collected on behalf of Telesford and Cedenio who were also absent because they were already overseas beginning their preparation for 2015.
In his address, TTOC president Brian Lewis called on national sporting organisations to strengthen their governance structure and for the country to raise its game ahead of the upcoming multi-sport games, while Borel delivered the feature address in which she called for nationwide support for the development of world class athlete management and environments here in T&T.


TTOC Honour Roll

Junior Sportswoman of the Year: Aaliyah Telesford

Junior Sportsman of the Year: Machel Cedenio

Sports Personality of the Year: George Bovell

Alex B Chapman Award: Bertille St Clair

Sportswoman of the Year: Cleopatra Borell

Sportsman of the Year: Keshorn Walcott