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Well, if we are being honest, Marisa Dick’s Rio 2016 Olympic berth looked pretty slippery, even before she got up on the uneven bars today.
Dick’s Olympic tryst, which was history in the making for Trinidad and Tobago gymnastics, was short and bittersweet.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
She executed the “Dick mount” en route to 13.066 points on the beam while there was a solid showing on the vault, as she got flipping 13.900—bear in mind that 13 to 16 are considered good scores.
But Dick managed just 12.533 on the floor and slipped off the bars before producing a sloppy finish for 11.333.
Her total score of 50.832 was less than Jamaica debutante Toni-Ann Williams’ 50.966. And Dick and her compatriot, Thema Williams, beat Toni convincingly at the Glasgow 2015 World Gymnastics event.
Of course, Trinidad and Tobago sport fans were generally unhappy that Dick was in Rio in the first place, after the Canada-born teenager and her mother Hannifer classlessly petitioned the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation (TTGF) to send her to the Olympics at the expense of the properly qualified Thema, who they claimed was injured.
As if a dodgy tendering process is not quintessentially Trini!
Still, Mr Live Wire must admit to having mixed emotions today. It was sort of like seeing that annoying work colleague tumble and fall comically in the office… Only to realise that the numbnuts knocked over your lunch while they were at it!
There was one oddity from Dick’s scores today that stood out for not quite standing out though.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
A peruse of Dick’s major international appearances showed that she managed 49.232 points at the 2013 World Championships, 51.499 at the 2016 World Championships—supposedly with a bruised rib—51.365 at the April 2016 Rio Test Event (with jet lag) and then 50.966 at the August 2016 Olympic finals when there was no excuse left.
So exactly when has Dick demonstrated the tremendous form that TTGF president David Marquez felt justified getting her to the Olympics at any cost?
Isn’t it ironic that Dick’s best score at a major competition so far apparently came when she was carrying an injury? Or that Jamaica’s Toni-Ann beat her with a sore knee that was heavily bandaged?
Fellow Trinidad and Tobago athlete and former Olympic bronze medalist, George Bovell III, went, as the kids say, “balls in” on Twitter:
“Robbing others of the fruits if their honest work makes you a cheater, not just failing a drug test. You will have to live with yourself!”
“It’s laughable when cheaters who escape detection by covering up their dirty deeds actually think that they are good athletes.”
Bovell the Third subsequently suggested that his tweet was in reference to a dodgy swimmer but it almost certainly fell in more than one athlete’s garden in Rio yesterday evening.
Thema also made a rare show of emotion as she tweeted “Poetic Justice” soon after Dick’s performance but quickly deleted the post from her social media account.
In truth, Thema only had to post her score of 52.466 at Glasgow. Because her rival has never gotten close to that performance at a major tournament.
But, exhale, that’s out of the way and Trinidad and Tobago can put juvenile puns aside and really drape itself in the Olympic spirit now. And by that Live Wire does not mean you should catch Zika.
Felice Chow’s Single Sculls Repechage event was postponed today, so she rows from 8.40 am tomorrow while Andrew Lewis competes in the Laser Men’s sailing contest at just after 1 pm.
Chow-down and Laser Lewis! Let’s go T&T!
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Mr. Live Wire is an avid news reader who translates media reports for persons who can handle the truth. And satire. Unlike Jack Nicholson, he rarely yells.
I just took a look at this guy’s fb page…don’t waste your time back and forth with him. I now understand why he sees nothing wrong with this situation
….itching…I…must…resist
let it go.. let it go… Shine him up 🙂
i ask you again….what part of the planet you are living???????????????
why are you all wasting time with Mr Williams… from his responses and standing point…. corruption ..bs and crap is what he endorses… facts show that they robbed thema…. the man can go up as a unc candidate with that standing points
She had every right to step down and not accept the spot. She was complicit in this act of thievery. She showed no ethics and no morals. So yes it is her problem. She had every opportunity to do the right thing.
it is Marisa problem….I am just asking???????????????? again….
Sometimes my fingers itch me to comment….then I remember that some ppl prefer to remain ignorant. A national flag (of any nation) does not automatically make one see ‘country first’ in its truest sense
It’s not Marisa’s problem?! ? As I think someone said earlier that’s why there is corruption in our country, people accepting what they are not due and don’t care about the means in which it was received/given. T&T has grown to be a very unethical place hence the reason I can see why you see nothing wrong with this
This type of favoritism within the selection process has always been part of the fabric in T&T sporting organizations. I hope that after the legal proceeding the TTOC and the MOS develop some backbone and begin monitoring the team selection on all sporting groups in T&T. Holding them accountable is key.
It really saddens me to say this and God forgive me but i really wanted to see her fall flat on her face and she very nearly did. Cheater, cheater never prosper.
Andre Williams, did you see George Bovell’s opinion?
It’s a vexing situation to be competing against dopers especially when you know it and cannot do a thing about it but hope and wait for them to be caught.
It turns out Bovell was referring to a dodgy swimmer. I think it fell in more than one garden in Brazil, which is why hundreds of people assumed he was was speaking of another sport.
Comparing the use of foreign national footballers is rubbish. WE DON’T CARE ABOUT HER BIRTHPLACE! We care about the fact that she was given a spot that she did not earn! Country first my ass! She is an unethical person to scree over another national athlete like that! The decision wasn’t hers but she didn’t do anything to ensure the decision was on the up & up. She didn’t even call her compatriot to ask what was going on. She just packed and was on the way to the airport before the ink dried on the decision made by the federation. She represented the federation and not T&T, probably well she gel and had such a dismal showing, similar to the makeup and state of said federation.
it is not Marisa problem…dah…..
So do you take a “foreign” player and use them to replace a local player that is better than the foreign one? No, that would make for a weaker team. The issue here is that a weaker athlete was given the chance (and I mean GIVEN) to represent Trinidad. That makes absolutely no sense. and that is my point.
LOSS OF THE RING: Marisa Dick’s precious opportunity to forever identify with the Olympic rings, as a medalist, came to a crashing end today on the floor of the artistic gymnastic competition, at the Rio Games.
In this Reuters foto, taken at the completion of the uneven bars routine, everyone is being blamed and called names, after the results were announced.
Oh well, as with the concept of the “ring” – what goes around, comes around … #fairplaybeatscheating
Hahahahahahaha
Oh gyad oi!! Lol.
My Question is “WHO is PAYING for Marissa Dick’s Mother being there as her Coach (this is the only way she can be allowed sitting on the coaches benches at the Olympics)??
Perhaps the same “Good Samaritan” who paid for her last-minute ticket to Rio?
SMDH!!!
I saw Nicole, yes.
Calisa, is it Nicole Fuentes that you all saw?
Lol well we know it cyah be the TTGF because pretty soon they not gonna be able to pay for anything #teamthema
George bovell a real national hero thanks man!!
Just here marveling at the consistency.
Ent!
How many TT footballers (male & female) born foreign and playing for TT?????? what is your point…
Well said Lasana. We were waiting to exhale. Go team TTO!
She mom couldn’t organize ah place on d podium fuh she?
Nah man ….. Ma Dick sticking!
I’m finally pleased and relieved to say #LetsGoTnT!!!
actually I am putting country first, for all those kids whose dreams and aspirations can be dashed at the blink of an eye, because someone thought “foreign” was better. You say put country first, country was Thema, who was raised and trained here – she was the epitome of COUNTRY first. So yes, put country first, put the club that poured all their energy into her, put the girl who put her education aside for same said “COUNTRY”, put the hopes and dreams of upcoming gymnasts and athletes from all across the COUNTRY first. Yes I put COUNTRY first. I put corruption last.
Oh guuuud! It was licks like peas. Dick is dead, for good.
❤️the support from Bovell
PUT COUNTRY FIRST…..all you GONZO-SORROW….
Go George
Lasana, the word is really spelt as “numbnuts”.
Ok Kevin. Lol
Thanks Tonya Ayow – it is also just a fact, so why get upset about the facts? Truth shall always prevail, as it obviously has here. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Some choose to back her, so be it, but if it was your child whose spot was robbed, maybe you might be singing a different tune. We not speaking up against her because she hurt us personally, we are speaking up because it is plain wrong.
is it her fault or her problem????????????????
Yes.. She was part of the problem
HOW??????????????????????????????????????????
Yes. Because at some point she could have shown the backbone she doesn’t seem to own and stood up and done the right thing. She’s not a baby. “She big and have sense”, as we say. But she lacks morals and ethics and was selfishly happy to go along with the nastiness that saw Thema unfairly lose her opportunity.
If you can’t see the problem here then with all due respect, you are part of why this place is the way it is.
WHAT WORLD YOU LIVING IN??????????????????? mars…..
She knew the contract before hand and when she failed to beat Thema, she went along with the shenanigans, launched a media campaign, spoke about it being cut throat time and insisted she was going all with support of mother and TTGF…. There was an agreement before and everybody changed the terms when it was not in her favor. You seem to be of a different view and that is fine but I have seen athletes give up much for team mates, this is one of the rare times I have seen a team mate shaft another athlete and team member.
To quote George Bovell:
Retweeted George Bovell (@GeorgeBovell):
Robbing others of the fruits of their honest work makes you a cheater, not just failing a drug test. You will have to live with yourself!
George is not here to play with y’all
Ah love it!!
So…is this like a disclaimer …in case he gets sued?
Additionally, the point is not where she was born it is how dishonestly she got the spot.
It is not over. The council of TTGF must all go especially the instigators of this travesty.
How many TT footballers (male & female) born foreign and playing for TT?????? what is your point…..
Dick is out?
Dick falls short?
Dick was really only in a little bit. And out before you knew it.
Dick collapsed under pressure?
Rio beat out for Dick.
Dick didn’t rise to the occasion
Couldn’t bring myself to watch.
It should be noted that she was not just born in Canada, but born, raised and trained. But you are right, this is over – Thank God.
Marisa was nervous…she represent TT…what is your beef….
I thought I explained myself well enough. She got there controversially. She represented T&T. She did not bring her A game. Again. Punto finale.
That was her A game though…
Lack of confidence and ability will obviously make one nervous when one knows there are more abled and qualified persons who can get the job done.
Her scores are fairly consistent over the last year or so though. So either she needs a sport psychologist, she is unable to handle big occasions or she just is not as good a gymnast as the TTGF seems to think she is.
What she needs is to qualify to represent T&T based on merit.
This morning Andre E. Baptiste suggested that since MD and TW both were scoring in the same range for the past 6 months, neither would have done better. I disagree. We will never know if TW may have risen to the occasion. Better yet, would TW have scratched on the uneven bars? Hasn’t she been more consistent on floor? I think saying that both athletes wouldn’t have performed better is a poor attempt to ignore the fact that MD was there competing by unfair and foul means.
The range is irrelevant. Athletes need to be selected based on merit and not connections.
Marisa Dick has never matched Thema Williams’ performance at the 2015 World Championship in any big international meet. That’s a fact.
This only goes to show its time to work only with natural born residents and leave those with local parentage abroad to compete where they live it cost a lot of $$$$$ to help pp who won be here to give back later on
It has nothing to do with where you born stop being petty!! She just not as good as the other girl.
I hope one day she becomes the best gymnist ever, and I hope when she does she represents Canada 🙂
?
We really don’t care. As unlikely as that is.
Live in hope.
Andrea Mac Rece Fraser lol
I don’t dwell on the negatives. Lol
The Dick was center soft. No Viagra could of been for taken for enhancement as they do random drug test.
Karma really is a b***h!!!! Retribution????
I was waiting for this article. Knew it was coming hahaha
I see what you did there
Thema may have tweet and delete, but boy is Bovell planting trees…
What Bov doing?
Robbing others of the fruits of their honest work makes you a cheater, not just failing a drug test. You will have to live with yourself!
Yea but he was also speaking of another incident re:swimming, but if you could kill two birds with one stone then hey
Did he say something, what did I miss?
Beautiful white body thank God
Karma is a bitch!!!! Hahahaha
Ooooh dear. What the heck happened??
My dick went limp. Pardon the pun…
You guys are nuts, but funny. :-P. 😛
Slippery dick now?!
I’m sorry but I don’t think Thema should have done that; complete silence would have been so much more eloquent because all the right-thinking people in T&T, including, I hope, the TTOC’s Brian Lewis and co. but not including the TTGF Ex Co., had already thought that with the first slip.
Sometimes, as the song says so well, words get in the way.
For all the Dick moves pulled to get Marisa to Rio, it is ironic that Dick fell and gave such an impotent showing instead. When Dick should have been standing tall and nailing it, this Dick was as limp as a wet noodle.
Karma is most definitely a boldfaced bitch and, in a reversal of roles, the bitch royally screwed the Dick!!!!!!