This may be good:
Jereem “The Dream” Richards, Jehue Gordon, Jamaal James and Zwede Hewitt are keen to make a difference in the lives of young athletes, and have masterminded an online programme, “Athlete Talks”, designed to achieve that goal.
Each of the four athletes has competed with distinction for Trinidad and Tobago, and wants to give back to the Red, White and Black.
Twenty-eight-year-old Gordon is the 2013 men’s 400 metres hurdles world champion, and has three national records to his name. Richards, 26, is the 2017 IAAF World Championship men’s 200m bronze medallist.
He is also the national indoor record holder in the 200, and shares in the T&T outdoor and indoor 4x400 records.
Both Gordon and Richards plan to compete at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. James, 31, is the national junior record holder in the 800m. He retired from track and field in 2018, but remains heavily involved in the sport as a coach.
Hewitt, 30, who shares in the national junior 4x400m record, is also retired from track and field.
He has transitioned to technology, and has developed a network sharing app, LUHU (Let Us Help U), which has caught the attention of international investors.
Hewitt explained the genesis of “Athlete Talks”, which is set to be launched at 8 p.m. tomorrow on the popular Zoom platform.
“It’s a virtual discussion,” Hewitt told the Express, “between a group of national athletes who’ve dedicated their lives to representing Trinidad and Tobago internationally with great success. Our intention is to share some of the details of our respective journeys to inspire young people during this unprecedented Covid-19 lockdown.
“The idea was born out of trying to find ways to contribute positively to Trinidad and Tobago and the world at large during the pandemic. Jereem, Jamaal and I speak to each other to get ideas off the ground. Usually, I would reach out to Jereem if I have an idea, and if he has an idea he would bounce it off of me.”
Hewitt said the healthy exchange proved to be highly productive.
“It started off with me, Jereem and Jamaal bouncing ideas off each other, but also bouncing insight and experience off each other to aid each other. And then we realised that among the three of us, we had enough knowledge, advice, expertise to help each other, so we decided that this could be something where we could spread this knowledge and insight to the masses.
“That’s where Jehue came on board,” Hewitt continued, “in terms of testing the idea. He liked it, and that proved to us there is value in the knowledge we have, how we can share it among each other, and how we could learn from each other as well. That’s how the idea came about, and we decided to spread it to the masses to help people.”
Though Richards, Gordon, James and Hewitt are all young men, ranging in age between 26 and 31, they are very focused on being shining examples.
“We would love for everyone who views the webcast,” said Hewitt, “especially young people and athletes, to leave the meeting inspired and motivated to confront life’s challenges and with a newfound respect for some of the challenges elite athletes face.
“Between us, we have at least eight national records and are all holders of degrees from prestigious universities. We would love to let young people know that balance is important and there is life after track. So, join us at eight on Wednesday night at
www.zoom.us (ID: 833 0815 2427).
“There may only be room for 300 people,” Hewitt ended, “so be early!”