Dear Editor: Bravo to Thompson, Bledman, Callender, Burns and Armstrong for T&T’s third Olympic gold

“[…] Bravo to our newly minted gold medal winning quintet of Richard ‘Torpedo’ Thompson, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Marc Burns and Aaron Armstrong! 

“[…] Our third gold medal may have come after some delay, but as a nation, we are proud and grateful to have this additional reason to celebrate our excellence as a young nation…”

The following Letter to the Editor on the belated gold medal presentation to Trinidad and Tobago’s 2008 Olympic Games 4x100m relay team was submitted to Wired868 by George Elias of Cascade:

Photo: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 4x100m gold medalists (from left, back row) Aaron Armstrong, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson, (from left, front row) Keston Bledman and Marc Burns.
(via TTOC)

Today, Tuesday 5 July 2022, is a red-letter day in the history of Trinidad and Tobago. Let us never forget that on this day, the International Olympic Committee has corrected an earlier oversight, and that the Trinidad and Tobago 2008 Olympic men’s 4×100 metre relay team have been awarded their long-awaited gold medals.


Bravo to our newly minted gold medal winning quintet of Richard ‘Torpedo’ Thompson, Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Marc Burns and Aaron Armstrong! Thank you for your years of preparation and dedication, and for your hard fought and well deserved victory in the name of our Republic.

Every athlete at the Olympics takes the following oath: “We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination.”

Photo: IOC president Thomas Bach (left) shakes hands with former Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Emmanuel Callender during the gold medal presentation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 4x100m relay team.
(via TTOC)

You (Messrs Thompson, Bledman, Callender, Burns and Armstrong) have made us further proud by your demonstrable reliance on hard work and fair play. You have remained true to the highest principles of the Olympic Games. And today, your faith and dedication to those principles have been duly, if not belatedly, rewarded!

By sheer coincidence, the ceremony today comes just as our nation has entered the sixty day countdown to the celebration of our 60th Anniversary of our Independence!

Our third gold medal may have come after some delay, but as a nation, we are proud and grateful to have this additional reason to celebrate our excellence as a young nation.

Photo: The Trinidad and Tobago quartet of Keston Bledman, Emmanuel Callender, Marc Burns and Richard Thompson pose on the podium after winning bronze in the London 2012 Olympics 4×100 relay final on 11 August 2012.
The Trinidad and Tobago team’s haul at the 2008 Olympics was upgraded due to a doping violation by Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter.
(Copyright AFP 2017/ Johannes Eisele)

On behalf of your proud and grateful nation, I not only thank you, but I salute you as our champions through and through. You represent the brightest and the best of us all.

Keep on making us proud!

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