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What about Track & Field / Lucas, Quow get hero’s welcome
« on: October 06, 2009, 07:40:38 AM »http://www.trackalerts.com/?p=3912
Lucas, Quow get hero’s welcome
By Clayton Clarke
claytonrclarke@yahoo.com
Josanne Lucas after the Women's 400m hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Josanne Lucas after the Women's 400m hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Port-of Spain, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago’s two world championships bronze medal winners Josanne Lucas (women’s 400m hurdles) and Renny Quow (men’s 400m) returned home on Monday (Oct 5) to a hero’s welcome.
The athletes arrived in Piarco, Trinidad from Miami, Florida just before 2pm and were greeted by Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Hon. Gary Hunte, President of the T & T track and field association Ephraime Serette, parents of Lucas (Juliet and Durly) and Quow’s (father Rupert).
Minister Hunte, who represented the government, welcomed the athletes and presented them with gifts on behalf of his ministry.
Lucas and Quow then flew over to Tobago where they were greeted by large welcome party headed by the island’s Secretary for Education, Youths Affairs and Sports Mrs. Claudia-Groome Duke, Director for Sports Theophilus Trim, sporting officials, family members of both athletes (including Renny’s mother Rena). Also on hand were club members from Josanne’s Tobago Falcons Track Club and Renny’s Zenith athletic Club.
Lucas is Tobago-born while Quow was born in Trinidad but grew up in Tobago with mother. Both had their earlier training on the island which has also produced Kelly-Ann Baptiste, semifinalist in the women’s 100m and 200m in Berlin and Semoy Hackett, 100m semifinalist. Baptiste and Hackett were part of T & T national sprint relay team which placed 7th in Berlin. Both are at universities in the US and were unable to join Lucas and Quow on their return to Tobago.
Lucas became the first T & T woman to medal at a global event when she crossed the line third in Berlin, in the women’s 400m hurdles, setting another national record of 53.20 while Quow was third in the men’s 400m in 45.02 seconds. Lucas’s record run represents the fourth time in 2009 she has lowered the national mark: 55.24 in Belem, Brazil in June to 54.17 in Baie Mahault, France in July to 53.98 in the semis in Berlin to 53.20 in the finals. She has the third fastest time in 2009 and the 17th fastest all time. The 25-year-old is former All-American with Auburn University where she won silver (400m hurdles) at the 2006 NCAA Championships.
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Renny Quow celebrates with Trinidad & Tobago's flag after the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Renny Quow celebrates with Trinidad & Tobago's flag after the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Quow’s bronze in Berlin in 45.02 seconds is his second global medal as he took the World Junior 400m gold in Beijing in 2006. He returned to Beijing last year for the 2008 Olympics and finished seventh. He set a new personal best of 44.53 in the semifinals in Berlin to become the second fastest T & T quarter-miler behind Ian Morris’ 44.21 set at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He is now 63rd fastest 400m runner on the all-time list. Quow is also the youngest ever 4×400m finalist at the World Championships when we ran with the T & T team at the 2005 Games in Helsinki, Finland at the age of 17 yrs.
The pair has a busy schedule on the island. They are expected to pay courtesy call on Tobago’s Chief Secretary Orville London, visit their alma-maters Lucas (Lambeau Anglican Primary and Bishop High School) and Quow (Scarborough Anglican Primary and Scarborough Secondary School) before going on an island-wide school tour.
Trinidad and Tobago won three medals at the 2009 IAAF World Championships of Athletics, Berlin, Germany. The third is silver (37.62 sec, NR) in the men’s 4×100m relay (Darryl Brown, Marc Burns, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender and Richard Thompson).
I know the Racers club is also participating, so the 100m race could be a pretty good one.
