PORT OF SPAIN – Trinidad and Tobago, basking in the glory of its first Olympic gold medal for 36 years, has showered teenaged javelin champion Keshorn Walcott with a number of gifts, including TT$1 million (BDS$333 000) in cash and a TT$2.5 million (BDS$780 000) home in a high-end residential area.
The 19-year-old Walcott returned home yesterday with the ten-member contingent which earned a record four medals overall at the just-concluded London Olympics.
It was the best ever haul in the country’s history.
Walcott’s achievement headlined Trinidad and Tobago’s performance, however, as he pulled off a stunning upset to become the first athlete from the English-speaking Caribbean to win gold in a javelin event and the first in 60 years from the Western Hemisphere.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, addressing thousands of nationals who gathered at Piarco International Airport to welcome home the athletes, said the gifts were for “bringing pride and recognition to the nation of Trinidad and Tobago”. (CMC)
