media_artricles :: 2013

Roberts: Jehue an inspiration to T&T

Flawless. Absolutely brilliant. Immaculate. Intelligent.

These were the words used by Minister of Sport Anil Roberts to describe Jehue Gordon’s victory run in yesterday’s 400-metre hurdles final at the World Championships in Russia, which gave Trinidad and Tobago its first “Worlds” gold medal in 16 years.

It was not quite the 36-year wait for Olympic gold that T&T endured, broken by javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott in London only last year. Walcott became the second gold medallist for T&T at that Games, after Hasely Crawford’s 100-metre dash in Canada in 1976.

Ato Boldon brought home T&T’s first World Championships title from the 1997 “Worlds” in Athens, Greece, and now, in 2013, Roberts is elated to see Gordon fulfill his potential.

“Flawless. An absolutely brilliant race run by young Jehue Gordon. He had promised us to bring bronze and silver to T&T when he finished fourth (at the 2009 Worlds). Today he made citizens here on our twin island and abroad extremely proud.

“He has brought golden sunlight through the dark clouds that were surrounding T&T athletics,” Roberts said.

Roberts also threw in words like “class” and “courage” to describe Gordon’s fight to the finish, as he dipped on the line to edge out US quarter-miler Michael Tinsley in a personal best 47.69 seconds. Tinsley clocked 47.70.

“It was an immaculate run, a run that showed character, class, an intelligent run. (It was) a run that inspires each and every one of us to do better. Congratulations to Jehue, his coach his manager, his family.

“(We must) look at it and understand what it took for a young man to get up after disappointment in the past to reach the pinnacle...and stand up on to top of the world and plant the red, white and black flag,” Roberts added.

Roberts also said that Jehue’s showing can do a lot to lift T&T after the disappointments of this week, when Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Semoy Hackett returned home early from the Championships due to doping issues.

“(Jehue’s achievement) makes us know that we are alive, and Trinidad and Tobago is alive and well and will never be kept down. He ran with class and our hearts are overflowing with love and pride. Well done, well done, well done,” Roberts said.

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